How Can I Help You?
by RitaRitaMargarita
Summary: Lisa wanted closure but she ended up getting a lot more than that.
1. A Brief Visit

Lisa knew what she was doing was wrong and stupid as she peered at the looming brick building through the foggy dashboard window. Unbearably nervous, she strummed her fingers on the wheel and bit her lip so hard it bled. She took her frustrations out on the heating dial, turning it so that her windows would clear up again and glanced at the clock. 6:08.

With a deep breath in, she turned off the car and swung open the door. She stood before the giant prison that held Jackson Rippner and shuddered.

As she walked to the big glass door, Lisa replayed the warnings of her father and Detective Daly, the man who was investigating the case, in her mind. Neither thought visiting Jackson was a good idea.

_Why would you want to put yourself through that, Lisa?_ _Don't you think you need more time? _

Questions she would shrug off and ignore. Despite their protests, Lisa found herself everyday, after getting off from work, in the same old familiar parking lot staring at the same old familiar ugly brick building.

Today, she decided she couldn't take it anymore and had to see Jack. Lisa couldn't pinpoint the reason of this sudden decision, and her better judgment kept informing her how incredibly stupid this all was, but she knew she had to see him. There had been no peace for her since that fateful flight three months ago.

Lisa was staying with her father for the time being until she felt comfortable to be on her own again. She kept having terrible nightmares, screaming as she woke, certain she'd find Jackson in her room. Still, she was a lot stronger than she had been the day she boarded the flight to Miami.

A soft breeze swept across Lisa's face, playing with her soft curls. The wind seemed to push her closer to the building. She remained in a trance until the annoying buzzing sound that beeped to let her into the visiting room jarred her. Reluctantly, Lisa took the seat she was directed to and licked her lips in anticipation. She stared through the glass, willing Jackson to appear.

Just then Jackson came through the door on the other side, accompanied by a large tough-looking guard. Despite herself, Lisa grinned at the satisfaction of being superior to Jackson in this situation. Jackson glanced around, visibly perplexed as to who could possibly be visiting him. This, too, gave Lisa satisfaction. She loved every minute of this- catching Jack off guard. The man pointed toward the chair across from Lisa. Lisa inhaled, wanting him to finally see her.

Just before he sat down, their eyes met. He was obviously quite shocked at first, but his cool, professional façade soon took over and the ice that Lisa had grown so accustomed to on the plane coated over his eyes. He smirked at her, almost taunting her, and sat down in the chair. He sat there silently, gazing into her eyes for what seemed like forever to Lisa. Finally he reached for the phone and, amused, raised his eyebrows and gestured to her to do the same.

Clumsily, she reached for the phone, embarrassed for her momentarily loss of cool.

They sat there in silence for a moment, the cool phones pressed to their ears, until he finally said "I remember your aversion to phones."

Lisa just stared back.

"Well, what can I do for you?" He seemed bored and judging from the circles under his eyes, quite tired.

She licked her already moist lips again out of habit and swallowed hard. Her eyes found their way to the healed wound on his neck.

"It feels much better now, thanks."

Lisa jumped, startled. She forgot how good a mind reader he was.

"Leese, I really don't have all day… they only give you about ten minutes in here."

Lisa finally declared, "I just wanted to see you _here_- where you belong."

His smile then was sickening.

_God_, Lisa thought, _he's still acting like he's in control__!_

His eyes finally left Lisa's and traveled downward to her sheer pink top. He smiled and then met her eyes again, wicked playfulness dancing in the crystal pools of danger. She blushed, knowing he'd just checked her out.

"Oh, Lisa," he sighed, sounding disappointed, "after everything we've been through and you're still a prude."

Her fear and uncertainty quickly became replaced with anger and she snorted. "Prude? I'm no prude. I'm just not too welcome to repulsive men ogling me. That's all."

"Well, now that your point has been made and your mission completed, shall we call this a day and part ways?" Jackson sighed, sounding still like a negotiating businessman. She hated how he could still act so confident and official, even in jail.

Lisa was tempted to hang up right then and there but there was still something else she needed. She wasn't quite sure what it was, though, and was beginning to regret coming to see Jack so soon. Perhaps she had needed more time to sort things out.

Jackson smirked, seemingly reading her mind. Chills ran down her spine; she remembered that smirk all too well.

"You know… you can come see me again. Next time wear that shirt- only skip the whole bra part. Shake things up a bit."

Furious, Lisa hung up on him and jumped from the chair. She waited impatiently to be buzzed out and cursed herself at she made her way down the never-ending corridor.


	2. Not All Guys Are Bad

The impatient ringing of the kitchen phone jolted Lisa awake. Her father was out of town for a few days and groaning, she realized there was no one else around to pick it up. Drowsily, she clawed for the alarm clock to see the time. It was only 5AM; she didn't have to be up for work for another hour. Completely agitated, Lisa ran for the phone.

"Hello?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Lisa? It's Detective Daly... We need to talk."

Lisa groaned loudly into the phone. _Probably yet another round of meticulous questioning_, she thought. She was beginning to think that perhaps Daly had a crush on her... he always concluded every round of questioning with asking her out to drinks.

"Lisa?"

"Umm, yeah I'm here. What time do you want me to come in? I have work at 7:30," she answered impatiently.

Daly chuckled a bit before saying, "You know how it is. As soon as possible."

* * *

Within forty-five minutes Lisa was showered and out the door, on her way to meet up with Daly at a nearby diner for "breakfast".

Lisa knew Daly was a nice guy, and it didn't hurt that he was very attractive and very available, but these constant questionings were getting old. Her coworker and friend Cynthia would giggle every time Daly showed up at the hotel to ask Lisa questions. She'd follow around Lisa for the rest of the day, practically singing her suggestions. _You should go out with him the next time he asks. He's sooo cute! And I don't see any wedding ring on his hand! _

Cynthia unsuccessfully tried getting Lisa back in the dating game, setting her up with her boyfriend's balding best friend Louie. Twenty minutes after picking Lisa up, he had already "accidentally" grazed her breasts five times. After that date, Lisa decided to lay low for a while and just take it easy. Cynthia had calmed down a bit but again was pushing Lisa to date the Detective.

Detective Ryan Daly was very tall. He had chestnut-colored hair and eyes the color of the sea. Sometimes they appeared to be green, when other times Lisa would swear they were blue. He had a muscular build and looked athletic, but you'd know he didn't have to spend too much time at the gym. He was just one of those naturally perfect looking guys, and it made sense that he'd decide to be a detective. He was extremely intelligent and his wit and drive helped him to become one of the most successful detectives around. Lisa was impressed by his abilities and intelligence and was attracted to him physically as well, but her fear would answer for her whenever he asked her to join him for dinner.

Lisa made it to the diner and reluctantly went inside. She spotted Daly instantly, sitting in a corner booth scanning the menu. She made her way over and slid into the booth.

"Good morning," she said as if it were anything but. Daly looked up at her and smiled, obviously pleased with her presence. He gestured the waiter over and ordered them two coffees.

"So," Lisa began, "what's this all about?"

Daly slowly took his silverware out of the napkin and placed the napkin onto his lap before answering her. He averted his eyes, never once making contact with hers.

"I know about your little visit to the prison yesterday."

Lisa sighed. She was incredibly tired of people feeling like they had to take care of her. She beat a contract killer, for God's sake. Couldn't they give her a little credit?

"And?" she asked with a rebellious tone, reminding herself of a teenager.

She couldn't help it; this whole thing was getting old.

"We asked you not to. It makes our job difficult. There are a lot of people out there who still believe you were in on it with Jackson. Ridiculous, I know, but people are stupid. We're out there doing damage control and you're _visiting_ the guy. It doesn't help our case much. I can't even imagine why you'd want to see the guy after everything he did to you."

Daly was red in face, obviously annoyed at Lisa's disregard for the government's hard work.

She sighed for what seemed like the millionth time today. "Detective Daly, you don't know me. You don't know what I'm about. Stop thinking for me. I wanted to find closure and felt that a visit to him would help. Is that so hard to believe?"

"But Lisa," Daly said quickly, "I do know you. I care for you. I am truly worried about you and I don't want to see any more harm come your way. I'm just watching out for you, I'm sorry if that upsets you. And although it upsets _me_ to upset _you_, I cannot stop watching out for you." His face was still red but Lisa could tell that this time it was from embarrassment.

Lisa eased up a bit and said, "Yeah, I know Detective. I may not show it but I really am appreciative for everything you've done for me. And don't worry- I won't be visiting Jackson Rippner anymore."

Daly smiled and met her eyes. "Good."

Their steaming coffee arrived and while drinking it, they made small talk. When Daly walked her to her car, Lisa realized she enjoyed his company much more than she realized. He truly was a gentleman.

As she opened her door and prepared to sit down, he said gently, "Uh Lisa, there's something else I wanted to say."

Lisa turned around and waited patiently while Daly's face contorted through various emotions, struggling to get the words out. "W-would you like to have dinner with me tonight? After you get off work?"

Lisa smiled, giving in, and agreed to meet with him at 8:00 that night. She got in her car and hummed a song to herself as she drove to work, happy that some good came out of her visit with Jackson.

The day passed by quickly and Lisa found herself looking forward to her dinner with Detective Daly. _Ryan_. He frequently asked her to call him that but only now could she call him that in her thoughts.

Cynthia was enthusiastic about her date. "This is so great Lisa! I'm so happy for you. This is exactly what you need: a nice date with a great, stable guy." Lisa laughed, happy that she seemed to finally be doing something right.

* * *

Lisa got off at 6 and ran home to change into something a little more attractive. She chose a silk green dress with a beige-colored cardigan to go over it. She hoped this would bring out the green of her eyes. She applied her makeup quickly but expertly and, with a quick approving glance in the mirror, rushed out of the house to meet up with Ryan. It felt good to have a reason to look good again.

The restaurant he had picked was very elegant. Lisa began to worry that maybe she wasn't exactly dressed up enough for it but she had no time to go back and change now. She left her car with the valet and rushed into the restaurant. She informed the maitre de that she was here with Ryan. He escorted her over to a dim-lit corner table where Ryan was anxiously waiting for her. His eyes lit up when he saw her, and Lisa smiled at the attention. She sat into the chair across from him and smiled at him.

"Lisa, wow. You look wonderful."

"Thanks, Detective Daly." Ryan winced and Lisa said quickly, "Oh, I'm sorry. Habit, you know. Thank you, _Ryan_."

Ryan smiled and poured champagne into Lisa's glass.

"Champagne, huh? You know how to impress a girl." Lisa giggled as she picked up the glass and took a big sip. She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

Ryan laughed politely. "I'm really glad you came tonight, Lisa. I've wanted to get you out for some time."

Lisa smiled. "Isn't this a conflict of interest?" she asked teasingly. He laughed and seductively sipped at his champagne.

Lisa kept nervously searching for some topic of conversation but Ryan would respond with one word answers. Then the two would return to silence, with Ryan's eyes boring into Lisa's.

Finally, Ryan lowered his eyes and blurted out, "Lisa, about what you said before, about this being a conflict of interest- I don't think my boss would be too understanding if he knew I had you out on a date, but I don't care. I'm really attracted to you. I know it's bold of me to say all this to you, especially after the ordeal you've been through. We don't have to be serious or anything, but I do want to give you some pleasure and take you out every now and then. As long as it's okay with you."

Lisa blushed, embarrassed but intrigued by what he said. Lisa stared at her hands for a while and played with the glass of champagne in front of her. When she looked up at Ryan, his eyes were searching her face for some sort of answer.

Lisa smiled and said, "I'd love to spend time with you, Ryan. We've been having a good time tonight and I really feel safe with you."

Ryan finally exhaled, relieved by her answer. His smile was ear to ear as he reached across for her hand and kissed it tenderly.

The pair left arm in arm and laughed like teenagers. Both were a little tipsy, but Lisa was much closer to drunk than Ryan was. He insisted upon driving her home, promising to take her back to her car in the morning. Lisa was uncomfortable with this situation but, always practical, she knew she couldn't drive herself home.

The two were silent on the way back to Lisa's father's house. They let the radio do all the talking. The silence was a comfortable one and Lisa mused to herself that it felt almost like they'd always been together.

When they arrived at Joe Riesert's house, Ryan rushed out of the car to open the door for Lisa. Lisa giggled and reached out for the hand he had extended toward her. He put his other arm around her waist and led her toward the door. Lisa fumbled around for her keys and with an embarrassed grin, finally pulled them out of her bag. The front door opened with a creak and Lisa looked back at Ryan, unsure of what to do. They had had a great time but she didn't want to rush things. As much as she wanted to invite him in for coffee, she felt she wasn't ready yet. He just smiled sweetly at her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She smiled at him, grateful that he understood.

"I had a great time tonight, Lisa. I'll call you tomorrow morning."

He turned and walked toward his car. He turned back and smiled at her one more time before getting in and driving away.

Lisa watched his car until he turned at the end of the street. She sighed and walked into the empty house, locking the door behind her. She leant back against the door, smiling as she replayed the night's events.

_Not all men are bad_, she thought.


	3. No One's More Happy Than You

**

* * *

**

I just want to say thanks to those who have reviewed this story; your positive comments and constructive criticism have helped me greatly. Hope you like this chapter… Lisa and Jackson will meet again soon.

* * *

"No names today, Jack?" Ryan Daly taunted.

Jackson only glared his frosty eyes back at him.

Ryan paced back and forth in the small questioning room, his hands in his pockets. He'd occasionally stop to look back at Jackson just to see if he was beginning to get antsy. Jackson would just stare back, his grin getting wider and wider.

Ryan then pounced across the room, slamming his hands onto the table. Jackson didn't even blink.

"I can't comprehend why you won't help yourself," Ryan said, trying to sound like he was honestly bent on helping Jackson.

Jackson seemed amused, and stifled laughter. Ryan became agitated and went back to pacing.

Jackson wasn't becoming antsy; he was, however, getting tired of seeing Ryan's face. He had come practically every day since Jackson had been released from the hospital and transferred to the maximum security prison. Every day, Ryan asked the same unintelligent questions with the same, dull tone. Jackson was beginning to wonder how he'd ever become a detective.

"Lisa told me that she sensed a somewhat human quality about you, Jack, but I just don't see it. I guess it's in the eye of the beholder…"

Jackson looked up at the mention of Lisa. He had thought about her little visit for the past week. _Was that really only last week? _Jackson wondered. He had been thoroughly surprised she had showed up. He thought that maybe he didn't give her enough credit.

Ryan picked up Jackson's small but noticeable reaction and smiled. _Gotchya_, he thought. He knew bringing up Lisa and her destruction of Jackson would stir him. Jackson noticed this small exchange of understanding and quickly covered over his surprise to Lisa's comment with contempt.

"Well, Lisa isn't exactly the smartest girl, is she?" Jackson said, his voice dripping with hatred, sending verbal daggers toward Ryan.

Ryan just smiled back. "She kicked _your_ ass, didn't she? Or have you forgotten?"

Jackson silently stared at Ryan again, his eyes twitching with anger. Then he rolled his eyes and focused on the floor.

Ryan was pleased with the day's proceedings and felt that it was time to leave.

"Well Jack, today was a pleasure as always. Try to remember those names, now. I'll be back tomorrow to check on your memory. Have a good night."

Then Ryan nodded his head triumphantly at Jackson and walked out.

* * *

Lisa had just finished dressing when there was a knock at her bedroom door. Her father had just gotten back from his trip the day before and spent every minute checking up on her, just to make up for all the time he missed. Although it got annoying sometimes, Lisa appreciated that he cared.

"Lisa, Ryan's here."

Her father hadn't really warmed up to Ryan yet, but then again, considering Lisa's track record with men, that was understandable. He was, however, impressed that he was a detective and even a blind man could see how happy he made Lisa.

Lisa rushed around her room, picking up her cell phone and checking herself out one last time in the mirror before going out to meet Ryan.

He was taking her to a Thai restaurant tonight. Lisa loved how he always came up with something new and exciting to do.

Daly shook hands with Joe Reisert and chatted with him a bit before they went on their way. Lisa beamed at him, obviously pleased at his attempt to make nice with her dad.

The Thai restaurant was packed, but Lisa felt like they were the only two in the entire place. They sat in silence, gazing into each other's eyes. Finally Ryan cleared his throat and spoke up.

"I don't know if you're interested, but there's been no development in the case. Our little killer won't come forward with any names. And I hate to say it, but time's running out. We only have nine months to stick him with the whole Keefe ordeal before he's out of jail."

Lisa shuddered, remembering the day in court when Jackson received his sentence.

_One year's jail time, five years probation__!_ The only charge the DA could stick was the attempted murder of Lisa Reisert, and even that he was able to plead out of. How infuriating that day had been. Lisa had gone back to her apartment and screamed and scratched at the walls. She had torn up pillows and broken glasses. Her father came over and held her tight, soothing her hair and wiping her tears as he had done when she was a little girl. It was the first time in a long time she had allowed him to take care of her, and it had felt so good to not be alone.

"Lisa, you okay?" Ryan asked, scanning her face with worry.

Lisa forced a smile and said, "Of course. I was just thinking. Ryan, what happens when he gets out? What if he comes after me? What if he-"

"I'll kill him," Ryan said determinedly, interrupting Lisa.

She smiled at him flirtatiously and said, "But that'll mean you'll end up in jail, and I won't stand for that."

He smiled back at her and drank his wine. It had taken time, but he had gotten Lisa to open up and to care about him.

Ryan took Lisa back to his apartment for some coffee. Lisa walked around the spacious pad, admiring the impressive collection of art he had on display. She hadn't taken him for an art aficionado. He came out of the kitchen smiling with two steaming and welcoming cups of coffee.

Lisa graciously accepted her cup of coffee, eager for a little caffeine. "Thanks, I think I drank a little too much. I can already feel the hang over coming on."

Ryan laughed and asked her to sit on the couch. They talked about funny stories from their childhoods for a while. Then suddenly and fervently, Ryan reached over for Lisa and they began to make out. It had been a long time for Lisa and she was enjoying every second of it. She really liked Ryan and this time, she wouldn't let fear get in the way.

They parted for a few minutes to get some air. He traced his finger along her collarbone and blew gently into her ear.

"Lisa, I think I'm falling in love with you."

Lisa didn't know what to say to that but allowed Ryan to pick her up and carry her into the bedroom. He placed her gently down and climbed in next to her. He stared into her eyes for what seemed like eternity. Lisa had always thought it was corny whenever friends would say they "got lost" in someone else's eyes, but she knew what they meant now.

It was stupid but for some reason she was reminded of a time when she was maybe ten. She had rebelliously swam out in the ocean much farther than she was allowed to. The sense of freedom she had enjoyed was short-lived when suddenly a large wave stormed into her. Disoriented and choking on water, Lisa pawed at the water but the tide had its own agenda. Frantically she attempted to keep her head above water, calling out for help. Another wave smacked into her and Lisa was completely submerged in water, too tired and too weak to reach the surface. Her legs were cramped and she could barely move them. She was alone and dying. Suddenly, strong arms lifted her and the next thing she knew she was gasping for air on the surface. She turned and saw her father holding her with his big strong arms, ready as ever to protect her. She had loved that feeling; it had been so long since she'd felt that safe.

Lisa felt ridiculous as she relayed this story to Ryan, but he only smiled sweetly at her and began to kiss her shoulder.

"That feeling I had when he fished me out of water… that's what I feel right now. With you," Lisa said softly.

She thought to herself that her last statement might have been the corniest yet most honest thing she'd ever said.

Ryan lifted his eyes and looked, to what seemed like to her, into Lisa's soul. Then he took her with gentle, calm movements that thrilled and excited Lisa for the first time in two years. She never thought she'd get this close to a man ever again, and yet here she was, with someone she loved. _Loved_. She _loved_ him. With this thought, she responded to him in a way that seemed to surprise him.

Exhausted but incredibly happy, the two broke apart from each other and sighed. Lisa turned around to sleep. She felt Ryan's big strong harms wrap around her and in a few moments, he was breathing deeply into her ear. She smiled, happy to have someone warm next to her.

Despite her newfound happiness, thoughts of revenge and hatred slowly crept into Lisa's mind.

_Jackson will not get away with what he's done_, she vowed. _Perhaps another visit is in order..._


	4. Thinking of You

"I can't believe you didn't call me! I was worried sick. I must've called your cell a thousand times looking for you, Lisa. I was minutes away from calling the cops!"

Lisa smiled at Ryan while her father yelled at her on the phone. Ryan lifted up her shirt and gingerly began to scatter butterfly kisses along her stomach.

"Dad, I had too much to drink. I'm sorry I didn't call you last night; it was insensitive of me. Ryan and I are just going to get breakfast and I'll be home."

Lisa was grateful it was Saturday; she didn't have to work today. She could go back to her father's house and sleep off the little headache she had left.

After breakfast, Ryan dropped her off. Before Lisa got out of the car, Ryan placed his hand on her arm.

"Lisa…," he began, "I had a really great time last night."

"Me, too," she said smiling.

He smiled back and said, "I'll call you later. Hopefully I'll get off early so we can get some dinner together."

Lisa waved as he made his way down her block. Lisa stood there for a few minutes, letting the Miami breeze push against her. The wind had caused goose bumps to form all over her arms. She closed her eyes and thought, _He's amazing. He's too good to be true.Remember the last time someone was too good to be true..._ Lisa shuddered and opened her eyes. What was she talking about? Ryan was a man of the law, for God's sake. She laughed nervously to herself as she turned around, making her way into the house.

* * *

Lisa napped for a while and then woke up to take a quick shower. She pulled an unwashed shirt out of the hamper and pulled an old college sweatshirt over it. She then slipped into some baggy sweatpants and pulled her hair up into a messy bun. She didn't want to look attractive for where she was going.

* * *

That same old brick building was in front of Lisa again, almost mocking her. She knew that if Ryan found out, he'd be really angry she was going to see Jackson again. She couldn't help it, though; something inside of her told her that she needed to go see him again. She thought that if she could just maybe catch _something_ in their conversation that connected him to the whole ordeal, she'd get him out of her life forever.

She hummed to herself while making her way to the visiting area. She sat down in the same seat again and waited patiently for Jackson to arrive. _It's funny how having a protective guy can make you feel confident, _she thought to herself. She smiled as she remembered the night before, how Ryan had made sweet love to her and had, in a single glance, erased all the negative feelings that had been tugging at her mind. She was still smiling, lost in her thoughts, when Jackson's face appeared before her. She flinched, unprepared for seeing him again. She had meant to maintain her composure but, per usual, Jackson had come at a time when she let her guard down.

She reached for the phone first this time, and then glared at Jackson, challenging him. He raised his eyebrows and flashed her that grin she remembered so well as he reached for his phone. Butterflies formed in her stomach. _What's wrong with me_, she thought. _He may be cute but… he's evil!_ She giggled a little at her dramatic thoughts, thinking she was now sounding like Cynthia.

"Have I become amusing to you now, Lisa?"

She straightened her mouth and said, "No. I wasn't laughing at you."

He smiled at her, flirting with her with those dangerous eyes. He looked her over for a minute, looking at her with a confused smile. _Interesting fashion choice_, he thought.

"Well, I must admit I am shocked to see you here again. I thought that our visits were over when you left so abruptly last time…" He grinned wickedly, piercing her with his eyes.

Lisa blushed and looked down, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

"I didn't get what I wanted," she replied, slowly meeting his gaze.

He raised his eyebrows, intrigued by what she said. He was very shocked and, although he had become trained in masking his emotions, he couldn't hide this. Lisa smiled at his reaction.

Jackson cleared his throat and quickly regained his composure. "Well, that's definitely interesting."

Lisa switched the phone to her other ear and sighed.

"So you think I have humanistic qualities, do you?" Jackson asked, changing the subject with that familiar grin intact.

Lisa stared back at him, puzzled.

"Our favorite detective mentioned something to that effect."

Lisa remembered saying it to Ryan now. She was surprised he had brought it up to Jackson. Seeing her confused and annoyed expression, Jackson once again relished in gaining control.

Lisa frowned. "Yeah, I said that. I still think that's true. You'll make a liar out of me if you keep blocking the investigation."

Jackson clicked his tongue, finally aware of Lisa's intentions.

"Get this straight, Leese. In my profession, cooperating with the police is death. And I'm not suicidal, as we've already established."

Lisa's tough façade crumbled and her lower lip began to quiver. There was never going to be any stopping Jackson. Lisa had underestimated him, and his associates.

"Aw, I thought you were happy I was here," he said, mocking her.

"I am. I only wish you'd be here longer."

With that, Lisa pushed out her chair and got up, not looking at Jackson again.

There had to be some other way.

* * *

_Jackson was chasing after a girl with long, brown curls. Her hair flowed behind her, and, every once in a while, she'd turn around. He'd catch her frightened expression but would never be able to see her long enough to recognize her. She tripped and he ran to pick her up. She had a gun in her hand, ready to shoot. _

Jackson woke up in a cold sweat. He remembered his dream vividly, not sure of what it meant. This was the tenth time he had had this dream. _Who was that girl_, he thought. He had wanted her, desired her. He racked his brain, trying to remember his last girlfriend. It took him a few minutes before he remembered: _Monica_.

Monica was a tough businesswoman; she had once been Jackson's employer. She was ten years older than him, but looked like she was around his age. She was tall, slender, and blonde. Her brown eyes were vacant and cold. Even Jackson found himself frightened of her whenever she became angry. It ended quickly when the job she had asked him to perform was done.

That had been the closest Jackson had come to a real relationship. Most of the women he dated were random rich and very attractive girls. Usually they'd go on a couple of dates and that would be all. Jackson liked to be detached from the women; he didn't have the time or the resources to truly dedicate himself to any kind of relationship.

Yet Monica had not been the woman he dreamt of. _Who was it_?

He felt like he was being watched. He looked up to see the satisfied look on Detective Daly's face.

"Have a nightmare, Jack?"

Jackson felt sick to his stomach. Ryan had reminded him.

The woman in his dream was Lisa.


	5. A Shocking Development

Ryan pushed Jackson into the interrogation room with such force that Jackson smacked into the wall. Jackson cursed in pain and he felt that his forehead began bleeding.

"Oops, sorry, Jack," Ryan said, meaning anything but sorry.

Jackson turned around to face Ryan and glared at him angrily. Ryan just smiled back.

"Have a seat," Ryan ordered, gesturing to the familiar seat by the table.

Jackson slowly made his way to the chair, reluctantly succumbing to Ryan. He focused on the floor while Ryan began pacing again. He let his attention waver from Ryan's threats to his recurring dream of Lisa. Why had he dreamt of _Lisa_ of all people? He could understand if the pursuit was one of revenge… but he knew that what he felt in the dream was purely rapture and desire. He felt confused and a little unsettled. He decided that this place was definitely getting to him.

"Jackson!" Ryan barked, snapping Jackson out of his reverie. "I am tired of playing these games with you. I want names. You could have been released already had you cooperated from the get-go."

Jackson smiled at Ryan for the first time today.

"I'm getting out soon enough. I don't understand why you waste your time here every day, detective. You must either be a loner or in love with me," Jackson said, mischief flashing in his eyes.

Ryan chuckled, unfazed by Jackson's attempts at making him angry. He'd grown used to Jackson.

"I think it's the latter… There's just something about those baby-blues."

"Seriously, detective. When was the last time you were _with_ a woman?

Ryan smiled back at him.

"Last night."

Jackson arched in eyebrows in mock surprise. _He must be lying_, Jackson thought. He was great at assessing people and he had this guy completely pegged. He worked long hours to fill his long, empty days. On his free time, he went to the local bar to drink with his fellow officers and watch sports.

"Really? Who's the lucky girl? Don't tell me it's that girl at the front desk… What's her name? Maude? I didn't think you were the type to go for older women but, I have been wrong before."

Ryan smiled even wider. He loved this. Sure, Lisa assured him on numerous occasions that Jack felt nothing for her. Yet, he still had this sneaking suspicion that Jackson had more emotion than he let on. Perhaps it was the way his blue eyes would sparkle then glaze over whenever Lisa was mentioned. Perhaps it was the way Jackson would speak her name softly when referring to her in interrogations. Ryan was sure, though, that Jackson didn't consider her just as a pawn anymore. Ryan knew when a guy liked someone, and Jackson had it written all over him.

"Oh, no, Jack. I'm not dating Maude. I think you _do_ know my girl, though…," Ryan taunted with an evil grin.

Jackson's smile disappeared. Ryan's venomous grin alerted Jackson that this was definitely important. His interest peaked, Jackson looked over Ryan incredulously.

"Is that a fact? Well I can't imagine you dating any of my acquaintances. What's her name?"

"Lisa."

Jackson knitted his brow in confusion, trying to make the connection. _Lisa? Lisa who?_ And then he looked into Ryan's eyes and immediately it clicked. _Lisa Reisert._

"Holy shit...," Jackson mumbled to himself as Ryan made his way to the door.

"Bye, Jack. I'll check with Lisa first but I'm sure I'll be able to stop by for a while tomorrow."

On his way out, Ryan turned out the lights, leaving Jackson in complete darkness.

* * *

Jackson lay in his bed, thinking about his meeting with Ryan that day. Was he lying about his relationship with Lisa? He was genuinely surprised that Lisa was dating… He figured that the airplane incident would have added another scar to Lisa- an invisible one. And what was she doing with that sketchy detective? He wasn't at all the kind of guy Jackson could imagine Lisa even contemplating having a relationship with. Not that he contemplated Lisa's relationships at all. Jackson was suddenly having difficulty breathing. Why did he care so much? Why did he care at all?

Jackson pushed these difficult questions that made him uneasy. He assured himself that his breathing problems were directly related to the injury that Lisa caused. He focused on how to use the piece of information Ryan gave him to his advantage. He needed to store this away in his vault for revenge. His creative light bulb went on and Jackson chuckled in the darkness of his cell. _Oh, Leese. It's just too easy._ Comforted, Jackson fell right to sleep.


	6. A Stranger Among Us

**Uh yeah I'm updating again, ahahah. I feel like such a loser but the story keeps creeping into my mind, wanting to be written so I must obey. I have the next few chapters written but I'm going to try and refrain from updating for the next few days. Besides, this is a really eventful chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Jackson ate his breakfast cheerfully. For the first time since he'd been brought to the prison, Jackson made conversation with the other inmates. At first, the guards thought something was up, but after eavesdropping for a while they realized that the inmates were just chatting. 

Jackson had every right to be at ease today, for he had made a very important phone call. Finally, his plan for revenge was becoming reality…

* * *

Lisa was having a very tiring day at work. One pain in the ass after another came through the Lux Atlantic's doors, ready to start war. Cynthia gave Lisa some aspirin but that barely helped the raging headache she was suffering from; the headache made it almost impossible to concentrate on her customers' complaints. 

Finally 7PM came around and Lisa was thankfully off from work. She called Ryan to meet up with him for dinner, as planned, but he wasn't picking up his phone. _That's weird_, Lisa said to herself as she rushed to her car.

The two had planned to catch a movie and then get some dinner. Then, presumably, go back to Ryan's. Lisa had been looking forward to it all week. She'd barely seen Ryan, who supposedly was working hard on another case. Tonight was the night they'd get a chance to catch up.

_I hope he didn't fall asleep or something_, Lisa thought, smiling to herself as she started driving to his house. She called Ryan over and over again but there was still no response. She began to panic and left him two voice messages. Lisa caught her reflection in the rearview mirror and laughed at herself. _Stop worrying_, she told herself. As she pulled up to his house, she noticed his car in the driveway. She laughed to herself as she walked up to his door feeling incredibly stupid and dramatic.

"Ryan?" she called as she pushed the door open. "It's Lisa!"

The house remained silent. Lisa noticed that none of his lights were on. "Strange," she said to herself as she flipped on the lights, looking around for any signs of Ryan. She started to worry again and then ran upstairs, praying he was asleep in his room.

She gasped as she ran into his room to discover his bed was perfectly made. _He wasn't there! _

"Ryan!" Lisa sobbed. She began running through the house again, frantically searching for him. She ran into his dark office, hoping he'd fallen asleep on his desk. She made her way to the desk to turn on the lamp when she tripped over something large and hard.

"Jesus, ow!" she cried out in pain. She got up and flipped on the lamp. There was blood all over- all over the floor, the walls, and the desk.

"Ryan," Lisa whispered, almost inaudibly. She stood there shaking behind the desk for a few moments, afraid to look at what that heavy, large, unmoving object was on the floor.

She began to tiptoe around slowly, delaying what she felt was the inevitable.

"Oh, God," she mumbled before passing out, slumping on the floor.

* * *

A strange detective came into Jackson's interrogation room. Jackson regarded him questionably for a few moments before returning his eyes to the floor. The detective pulled up a chair to the other side of the table and began making notes in the file he brought with him. 

"Jackson...," the detective began. He opened his mouth to speak, taking in a deep breath, before clamping down again.

"That's unfortunately me," Jackson said with a smile.

The detective just stared back at him. Jackson was beginning to get uncomfortable. _What now_, he thought, getting tired of this whole thing. The detective returned to his file, his pen's scratching noises against the paper filling the silent room.

"I have a few questions for you regarding the whole Lux Atlantic/Keefe ordeal," the detective finally said, barely looking up from the file.

"Well, I don't know if I have any answers. Where's Daly?" Jackson asked, truly curious.

"My name is Detective Carver and I'll be investigating you today," Carver replied, sounding bored.

Jackson felt like something really fishy was going on. He began scanning the room. He focused his gaze on the one-way mirror, wondering if there were any legitimate detectives on the other side.

"Who do you work for, Carver?" Jackson asked, beginning to suspect that he was working for a client.

"I work for the United States government," Carver replied suspiciously.

"That's funny. I guess you work for the client and you're collecting as much information as possible? Damage control? I was wondering how long it would take you."

Detective Carver's enigmatic expression finally changed into one of pure confusion.

"Jackson, I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about, but if you think I'm not who I say I am, I can show you my identification."

Jackson snorted. "Like that would mean anything."

Carver just stared back at him.

"If you're really a government official, explain to me what happened to Daly."

Carver looked down, hesitant to answer. "Detective Daly is no longer in charge of this case."

"Really? Why's that?" Jackson asked sarcastically.

"That's none of your concern. May we move on now to my questions?"

Two hours later, Jackson was led back to his cell. He'd given the same answers to Carver as he had to Daly. After analyzing Carver's behavior, Jackson came to conclusion he was legit. He was really curious about what happened to Daly, though. _Maybe he was fired. Maybe the government's finally getting something right_, Jackson thought to himself as he laid down on his small cot.

Jackson barely got relaxed before a guard came to inform him that he had a visitor.

Jackson made his way to the visiting room, sure that his guy he had called this morning had come to meet up with him in person.

The person sitting on the other side of the window came as a complete shock to him and caused him to stop in his tracks.

"Monica," Jackson said, stunned.

Monica's harsh, dark eyes were fixed on him with a smile playing at her lips. She looked so much older. It was unreal. She had her head resting on her hand and that expression on her face that had caused even Jackson to tremble back in the day. The phone was up to her ear already and she was becoming impatient with Jackson's hesitation. Her blonde hair with now tinges of gray was flowing loosely over her shoulders, surprising Jackson greatly. She had always worn her hair up in a bun or some other restricting, professional style.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," Jackson said as he picked up his phone.

"Jackson," Monica purred with her low, sensual voice- a product of years of smoking and screaming.

"Monica. What are you doing in a place like this?" Jackson joked.

Monica only smiled at him.

Finally she said, "Jack, you _idiot_. I heard you sent out one of my men on a personal agenda. How dare you."

Jack smiled back at Monica, realizing by her tone of voice she wasn't necessarily angry. She said each word without emotion, matter-of-factly, as though she was just confirming what he had done.

"Yes, I did. I sent Jeremy to take care of a little business for me. I obviously couldn't take care of it myself," he said, gesturing to the prison he was in.

"No, of course not. Have you heard from Jeremy yet?" she asked, feigning curiousity.

Something was going on here. Jackson's face lost his uniform smile and he began to shift in his seat.

"No, I haven't. I expect to hear back from him sometime later tonight."

"You're never going to hear from him, Jack. He's dead. Your _personal agenda_ killed him. Ryan Daly, your target, was working for Ernesto."

Ernesto had been Jackson's "visible" client in the Keefe case. Ernesto and his associates wanted Keefe dead and therefore put Jackson, who was supposedly the best, on the case.

Jackson stared back at Monica's blank face in disbelief. _Jeremy can't be dead_, he thought to himself. _And Daly… there's just no way_. Yet Monica never lied, a habit Jackson had picked up in her company. _What use does lying serve you_, she used to say. _Cowards lie. You tell a target the truth- that way it's so much scarier. _Jackson swallowed hard remembering this.

"He's _dead_, Jack," she said softer. "What you didn't realize… what you _should_ have realized, was that Daly was working for Ernesto. You sent Jeremy into a waiting trap. Supposedly Daly, also known as Robert Walsh, has been waiting a long time. His entire house was rigged. The moment Jeremy entered his house he was a goner. Ernesto placed Daly here with false credentials. Daly _was_ actually a "detective", but not necessarily a legitimate one. He'd always worked for Ernesto, manipulating things to his benefit. With his position in the law, he became extremely important to Ernesto. Ernesto made sure he was in charge of this case. He made Daly get in close with Lisa Reisert so that she'd trust him, confide in him. She'd hand over her statements to him, which of course he changed around a bit. He didn't want her visiting you. He was afraid you'd picked up on him and would therefore alert her. His eventual order was to kill her, then you. You know how Ernesto likes things nice and tidy…"

She grew silent after watching Jackson's face switch to one emotion after the other. At first he kept shaking his head, and then he kept blinking and swallowing hard. Now his eyes were bloodshot with rage. His jaw was clenched so tightly that Monica thought he might crack his teeth.

"Ernesto called me after the whole thing went down. Common courtesy, I guess," Monica said bitterly. She had always hated Ernesto.

Jeremy had been Jackson's closest friend. He had gotten Jackson into the business, telling him about how much fun and money they could have. The two had worked on many cases together until Jackson rose up steadily in the firm and soon became entirely independent, while Jeremy continued to work under Monica's orders. Jackson would often joke that Jeremy was too much of a nice guy to do the things Jackson had to do. They spent holidays together and they lived together. They were the family neither of them ever had.

"Jack?" Monica asked softly, bringing him back to the horrific here and now.

"I just… I can't believe it," he finally said. "How much longer did I have before he moved on me?"

"It's hard to say. I guess until he got the information he needed."

Jackson groaned, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Monica, what now?"

"I don't know, Jack. I can't protect you. You don't work for me. Because of your foolishness, I lost one of my most trusted and effective employees. I'll try my best though, for an old friend," Monica said. Looking over Jackson, she sighed. "How could you not have known? Daly had it written all over him."

Jackson nodded, knowing he should have been more observant. When he looked back on it, it was obvious there was something off about the guy.

"I don't know what happened to you. That whole thing with the Reisert girl happens and it's like you completely lose every skill you had." Monica shook her head, her long, dangling earrings shaking violently against her face.

"I haven't lost every skill I ever had. If it had been me in Daly's house, Daly would be dead."

Monica snorted. "Daly is supposedly being relocated. They're putting a new guy on you. I don't think you have much time, Jack. Start thinking."

Monica playfully traced Jackson's form through the glass before sighing and shaking her head at him one final time.

"Do you love her?"

"What?" Jackson asked, confused.

"I said, do you love her? With your abilities and crafty associates, you could have been out of here weeks ago. I've been wondering what's keeping you here. You looked especially annoyed when I mentioned the part about Daly's relationship with Lisa…"

Jackson just stared back at her.

Monica laughed as she put the phone back. She stood up and rearranged her skirt, then threw one last smile at Jackson, winked at him, and walked out.

Jackson felt like that didn't happen. It was too surreal. After he was brought back to his cell, he collapsed on his cot. His head hurt from all of the information he had to process. He knew he was safe in here for the time being. They couldn't get to him just yet.

But Lisa… they were probably going to take care of her as soon as possible. This thought caused Jackson to pace in his cell. What was he going to do now?


	7. Killers Can Be Nice Guys, Too

**A glimpse at Jackson's softer side P. Thanks for the reviews; they have been really great. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Lisa took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the prison. It had been a few days since she found an unidentified dead man in Ryan's office. She hadn't heard from Ryan yet, not that she expected to since the police informed her that they found some incriminating evidence on his hard drives. They said that he must have been in an incredible hurry to leave those things behind. Lisa shuddered remembering that devastating day.

* * *

Her father came to wait with her while the investigators searched the house for evidence. Lisa knew that Jackson was somehow involved in this. She cried tears of hatred, sure that the dead guy was one of his associates sent here to kill Ryan. She was positive that Ryan must've killed the man out of self-preservation and fled the scene until evidence could be provided to confirm this.

Joe Reisert knew better. The detectives seemed uneasy and hesitant; they had bad news.

Finally a detective Sam Carver came over to talk to Lisa and her father.

"Ms. Reisert, Mr. Reisert," the polite detective said. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Lisa started to sob uncontrollably, sure that the detective was going to tell her Ryan was dead. Detective Carver looked at her father for a moment, as if to ask if he should go on. Joe nodded.

"Ms. Reisert, we have found some pieces information that link Detective Daly to the Keefe case. We think he was working on the terrorists' side."

Lisa stopped crying and looked into the detective's eyes. She shook her head as she said, "What? What are you talking about?"

Carver coughed, embarrassed. "It seems he was always working for their side. He had us all fooled. We found some pictures of you on his computer, which leads us to believe you were his target. Did he ever threaten you, or ask you specific questions about what happened to you or what you were told?"

Lisa sat there in her father's arms, her silent tears dripping off her cheeks, staring into space. She couldn't speak.

Joe looked up at the detective and said, "Of course she told him things like that. She was led to believe he was in charge of the case."

Carver nodded, looking Lisa over.

"I'm sorry. I understand you were very close with him. I want you to know that we're doing everything possible to find him. We'll keep you updated."

As Carver walked away, Lisa remembered the man she had found in a pool of blood.

"Detective Carver!" she called out.

The detective turned around as she said, "What about the man? The dead man?"

Carver nodded saying, "We don't have much information about him. All we know is that his name was Jeremy Pratt."

With that, Detective Carver walked away and joined a huddled group of detectives. Lisa collapsed onto her father. How could she have been so stupid… _again! _

* * *

Lisa tapped her nails nervously on the counter. She already had the phone up to her ear. This meeting wasn't about control, or revenge. She just wanted to know what Jackson knew, which she was sure at this point was a lot.

Jackson slid into the seat looking at her curiously. His eyes were red, almost like he had been crying.

_That's a funny thought_, Lisa mused, remembering who she was dealing with.

As soon as Jackson picked up the phone, Lisa stammered out, "Tell me what you know."

Jackson raised his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"You know," was her response.

For the first time since Lisa had known him, Jackson seemed uneasy.

"Where do I begin?" He said, shrugging and looking down at his lap.

"The beginning," she said firmly.

Her tone of voice made Jackson look up. He seemed amused at her conviction to know what was going on. But then he remembered she had a thing going on with Ryan.

"You have terrible luck with guys," he joked sadly.

After Jackson relayed everything Monica had told him to Lisa, she began to cry softly. He didn't regret telling her. What did it matter now?

"I just can't believe it. He was just, he was so amazing," she finally said, barely audible.

"Yeah, he was a good actor," Jackson replied, annoyed remembering his altercations with that jerk.

"I'm sorry about your friend. Were you close?" Lisa asked him.

Jackson was surprised she cared.

He looked around for a little bit before replying, "Yeah. Yeah, we were close."

"So you sent him to kill Ryan, right? Why? You didn't know he was working for that guy then."

For the second time in one day, Jackson flitted his eyes about uncomfortably.

"No, I didn't know that at that point or else I would've never sent Jeremy. Ernesto's guys are practically unbeatable. I wanted to…," Jackson looked up at Lisa, embarrassed about what he was about to say.

Lisa couldn't believe this whole new side of Jackson that she was seeing. _Where is the emotionless, cold, ruthless killer now? Who is this sensitive, sad boy in front of me_

"You wanted to what?" Lisa prompted softly.

"I just wanted Jeremy to scare him. Jeremy doesn't… didn't… kill people. That wasn't his forte. I wanted him to scare Ryan so he'd break up with you and devastate you. That was going to be the first part of my revenge," he said lamely. It sounded so stupid now.

For the first time in days, Lisa laughed. She laughed so hard she began to cry again.

"That is the most ridiculous plan for revenge I ever heard," she finally got out.

"Shut up," Jackson said, beginning to get angry. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and his stormy eyes were narrowed at Lisa.

"With all of your experience and ability and you send a guy to _scare_ my boyfriend away," Lisa said giggling, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes.

"I said that that was only the first part. Part two was coming when I got out of here," Jackson said with that killer tone in his voice, meant to scare Lisa into silence.

She only laughed back, now wise to Jackson's emotional side.

"Lisa, they're going to send someone to take care of you. It's not over. Now it'll even be worse because the cops got a hold of Ryan's files. They're going to want to take care of business _badly_ now. Your father will even be in jeopardy. Even your friends. Anyone you could have even possibly mentioned this whole thing to."

Lisa knew she should be scared but she was so amused with Jackson's sudden change in character. She looked him over for a few minutes before finally fixing her eyes on Jackson's.

"Lisa, are you listening to me? I don't really give a shit what happens to you, but now since we're bonded by being victims of Daly's sick game, I figure I'll give you a heads up. Get out of town. Permanently. Change your name."

Lisa only smiled at him. "You care about what happens to me or else you wouldn't be telling me all this, Jack."

Jackson winced. He hated losing his edge over Lisa.

"Two more months and you're getting released, Jack. Where are you going to go?" Lisa asked him.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "I don't know. What does it matter? I'll figure out something. Just worry about yourself and your dad."

"How ironic," Lisa said, "that now you're saving my father's life."

"Yeah, well, if you think I'm lying…" Jackson started to say.

"No, I know. You never lie. And for some reason I know I should listen to you," Lisa interrupted.

Jackson nodded, looking down at the counter.

"Okay well. I'm leaving now. Thank you for the information."

Lisa was so surprised in how her relationship with Jackson had changed. She didn't hate him or find him repulsive anymore. She just felt pity for him. He actually seemed to have a soul today. Jackson and that Jeremy guy must've really been close.

Before getting up to leave, Lisa added, "And Jackson? Good luck, okay?"

Jackson swallowed hard and looked up at Lisa. "Yeah, good luck to you, too. You'll need it."

* * *

"Lisa," Joe called from the kitchen. "I'm home. How did the meeting with that creep go? Did he tell you anything?"

Lisa was lying in her bed, thinking over the whole thing. She had come home and ran straight to her room. She had heard her father come home and dreaded him asking this very question. The problem was, she didn't know what to do. She didn't want to relocate and give up everything- her job, her life, her friends. If she left, did that mean her friends were immune to this Ernesto guy? No. They'd all be dead no matter what. She knew Jackson was into self-preservation, but Lisa couldn't live with herself if she didn't stick around to help her friends. She was resourceful. She knew, if given enough time, she could find some way to stop these guys and put them behind bars where they belong. Then, everyone would be safe and happy.

"Lisa?" her father asked, now at the bottom of the steps.

"Yeah, dad, sorry. No he wasn't any help. He just said to watch out."

Her father mumbled something and went into the kitchen to fix dinner. Lisa gulped back the tears and went downstairs to help him.

* * *

Jackson was finally free. A BMW was waiting for him outside.

"Jackson," the driver said. "It's Donald," he explained while ripping off the moustache that was supposed to be his disguise. .

"Donald, wow. I'm surprised to see you here," Jackson said, genuinely surprised.

Donald was Monica's ex-husband. He wasn't really an employee. He didn't know anything about anything. She kept him around the business, asking him to perform meaningless tasks. He seemed to be the only person Monica seemed to actually like and completely trust. She always said that had he been meaner, their relationship would've worked out.

"Yeah, well, I know you were expecting Monica to come for you but she was busy so I volunteered. You're a lucky guy to have Monica on your side. She's been calling Ernesto these past few months on your behalf. She's the only reason you're not dead yet."

Jackson said nothing as Donald began to drive him to God knows where.

Finally the familiar sight of Monica's grand house appeared. Monica always said she loved this house but she never had much business in Miami so she rarely had the time to visit.

"Okay she's waiting for you," Donald said while dialing someone on his phone. "Good luck, Jackson."

"Thanks," Jackson said while getting out of the car.

Jackson made his way up to the door, trying to appear confident. Inside, as a matter of fact, he was a bundle of nerves. He was afraid Monica had made a deal with Ernesto that she would kill him herself. If that was the case, Jackson could live with it. He'd rather be killed by the only woman that might have loved him than that fat despicable human waste.

Jackson stretched out his finger to ring the bell when Monica opened the door wide, smiling at him.

"Good to see you're still alive, Jackson."

Jackson nodded at her, afraid she was going to pull a gun out or something.

Monica noticed him eyeing her suspiciously and said, "Don't worry, Jackson. You're not dying today."

She sashayed down the hall and without looking back, beckoned with her hand for him to join her. Jackson entered the house meekly, still afraid hit men were going to come jumping out at him.

"Jackson," she called impatiently.

Jackson made his way into her living room. "Eat," she demanded, gesturing to the variety of sandwiches on her table.

Jackson muttered a thank you and began to stuff his face. A year of prison food had left him a very hungry man.

"Alright, Jackson, here's the deal. You will, from this day on, work for me. You're not going to be given high-profile cases for some time. That's your punishment. This way, Ernesto is satisfied and I have you back at my side in Jeremy's place."

Jackson suddenly lost his appetite. His prison term had given him a lot to think about. He didn't want any part in this world anymore. He just wanted to take the thousands he had in his private bank account and retire somewhere nice. He knew if he worked for Monica again he'd never be free.

Monica glanced at him with an annoyed expression, guessing what he was thinking.

"That's your only option, Jack. The alternative is much more… _morbid_," she said with a giggle.

"I was thinking I'd retire," Jackson mumbled.

"Well, stop thinking," Monica said, turning to face him completely. Her eyes were narrowed at him and she was baring her teeth like a vicious dog. "Stop being so ungrateful, I went through hell to get you this bargain."

Jackson looked her over and said," Sorry. I do appreciate it."

Monica's face relaxed and she murmured, "Good," while she made her way over to him. She clasped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

When their faces separated, Jackson could no longer push away the thought that had entered his mind as soon as he arrived. He knew it was going to piss her off, but at this point he didn't care.

"And what about the girl," he whispered huskily, playing with her blonde hair.

"Hmm, what girl?" she purred, rubbing her face against his.

Jackson fought back his urge to shake her and said, "Lisa Reisert."

Monica withdrew from him like he knew she would and she glared at him, taking five steps backwards. She nodded, looking him up and down.

"I was wondering if you'd ask. No deal for her. What could she possibly offer anyone?"

Jackson nodded, looking at the floor.

Monica said with a tone of pity, "My best advice to you, Jack, is to forget about her. There isn't anything you can do for her now. There's nothing anyone can do."

* * *

Jackson was parked across from Joe Reisert's house for the sixth night in a row.

He couldn't figure out why Lisa hadn't left. She had no idea what pain she'd be in if she stayed. He'd tried calling her at her house but her father always picked up. Jackson was in no mood to fight with the guy, who obviously would be annoyed with him. Jackson sighed as he glanced at the clock that read midnight. He had to go back to Monica's.

Jackson knew he had to talk with Lisa again, and soon. He'd have to pay a visit to the Lux Atlantic.

* * *

Cynthia was dealing with a particularly difficult customer. The man claimed to have asked for a room with two queen beds but had been given one with one king bed.

"Mr. Lewis, I would love to make this situation up to you. I have another room with a king bed on the same floor just down the hall from your current room."

Cynthia had become quite a confident employee. Lisa had taught her the little tricks on how to placate customers and Cynthia had turned into quite a smooth talker.

Cynthia took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax once Mr. Lewis made his way to his new room.

"Tough day?" a voice asked her.

She looked up to face an attractive young man with stunning blue eyes. Something about him was very familiar.

She smiled at him wearily and said, "You have no idea. Well, how can I help you, sir?"

"I'd like to speak to your manager."

Cynthia began to internally panic. _What now? _She thought.

The man caught her expression and assured her, "This has nothing to do with you. I promise."

Cynthia smiled back at him and told him she'd be back in one minute. _How do I know him? _Cynthia wondered. _Maybe he's a frequent customer?_

"Lisa, there's this really hot guy asking for you in the lobby," Cynthia called while knocking on Lisa's door.

Lisa sighed. She was in no mood for a hot guy. She'd spent the entire day on the phone with Detective Carver, trying to figure out some way out of this mess. He'd told her they hadn't found out Ryan's whereabouts or anymore traces of evidence.

Lisa was reluctant to go out and speak to the man who was looking for her, hot or not. Surely he had a big problem to be asking for the manager.

Lisa barely looked up as she walked to the front desk. Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hi, Lisa."

Lisa looked to her left and there was Jackson. Lisa wasn't surprised. She was rarely surprised anymore.

"Hi, Jackson," she said exhausted.

"Shall we go get some drinks at the bar?" he asked charmingly.

Lisa just nodded and led the way.

They sat there for a while, their glasses of wine before them. Lisa was running her finger along the rim of the glass and Jackson was watching her.

Finally Jackson said, "So, how's life?"

Lisa laughed a bit. "Okay, how about you? It must be great to be free again."

"Well, free is a relative term. What are you still doing in Miami?"

Lisa shrugged, never looking up from her glass. Jackson grabbed her glass and moved it to the other side of the table.

"I told you it's dangerous, didn't I?" he asked softly, looking at her curiously.

She nodded, finally looking into his frozen eyes that made her shiver even now.

"I'm so tired, Jackson. I'm so tired. I can't deal with any of this anymore. I don't even know what you're doing here. Why are you trying to help me? It doesn't make any sense to me… A year ago you were terrorizing me on an airplane and coming after me with a knife. Now you're sitting across from me telling me to leave town," Lisa finally blurted out, breathing deeply after getting it all out.

Jackson looked her over and sighed.

"What difference does it make? Stop being stupid. You want to live, don't you?" Jackson asked Lisa.

Lisa nodded numbly.

"Okay, then. Relocate. Do something," Jackson said, getting up from the table.

"Does it… Does it still hurt?" Lisa asked him. Her eyes were fixed on his. Jackson seemed to be very confused. He dropped back down into his seat and looked at her sideways.

"Does what hurt?" he finally asked her.

"The wounds. Everything," she said, looking at him meaningfully.

"No, not really," he answered, smiling.

"Good," she answered as she got up. "Bye, Jackson."

"Lisa, if you want help… I could help you. I could help you find a way out," Jackson said placing a hand on her arm.

"Help me? Help me with _what_, Jackson?" she asked, fully exhausted of the whole ordeal.

"Help you escape," he said simply.

Lisa snorted. "You wanna help me? Help me find Ryan. Help me find Ernesto. I want them gone. I want to live my life without having to look over my shoulder. I want my friends to live in peace. I want the memory of _you_ out of my mind. I just want everything to be normal again."

"Yeah, me too," he said softly, nodding his head. "But there's no way to stop those guys. They're not going to hurt your friends… I thought about it and it would be too noticeable. But they are going to go after you. Your life can't be normal anymore. I'm sorry."

Lisa shook her head and started to walk away from the table. Jackson knew the thoughts in his mind were crazy. He couldn't help _Lisa_. He couldn't go after _those_ guys. That would be a suicide mission. And yet… and yet everything in him wanted to do just that. He knew he'd never be at peace until he helped Lisa.

"Lisa," he called after her, running to catch up with her. "Lisa."

He tugged at her arm, pulling her to face him.

"Lisa, I'll help you. You want to find them, I'll help you."


	8. A Mess

Hey, it's been a while! This is a short one but I really felt like updating it and I know I'll be working more on this story this weekend.

* * *

Jackson calmly watched the storm clouds rolling in as Monica's screams echoed the living room. He put his hand on the cool glass window and let Monica's voice fade into the background until it became a slight murmur. How long would he be her little cute assistant? It killed him that he was right back where he started in the business. Only this time, Monica didn't seem to ever want to let go.

Pain washed over Jackson, stunning him and disrupting his vicious thoughts. A warm like substance trickled down his face, which Jackson identified as blood. The look he shot Monica was one of hate and disgust. He always put this face on whenever faced with a target. It was meant to scare her, but Jackson forgot who he was dealing with.

"Hear me now, you disgusting prick?" She asked, out of breath.

Jackson calmly walked over to the tissue box and dabbed at his wound.

"I know you've been going to Lisa Reisert's house. I know. I don't know if you actually speak with her or see her, but I know you sit outside her house. You follow her to work. Don't you dare smile at me! Wipe that confident grin off your face, I taught that grin to you!"

Jackson quickly composed himself. If only Monica knew how pathetic she'd become.

'Now," she breathed out, relaxing a little. She made her way over to him, seductively swinging her hips and batting her lashes. "I don't care why you did it or how many times you did it. I only want to know if it will happen again."

She stroked his silk tie with her long, bony diamond covered fingers and purred closer to him.

"It won't happen again, right Jackson? You wouldn't do that to me. You know I'd be in deep if you were ever caught. I'm supposed to be watching you 24/7 as part of my agreement with Ernesto… So, it won't happen again. Right?"

Jackson nodded.

"Say it," she demanded shrilly, rising her voice a little. She cleared her throat. "Say you won't do it again," she said much softer.

"I won't do it again," Jackson mumbled, meeting her gaze.

"Good. Now get out of my sight. I'll call you when I need you."

Jackson relucantly retreated out of the room, wanting desperately to stomp over there and smack the satisfied smile off her frozen and obviously plastic face. He hated being in this delicate position.

He'd been careful since he started visting Lisa at her apartment. She moved back there not too long after he came to see her at the Lux-Atlantic. Her dad would have been terribly suspicious had Lisa invited Jackson over for dinner...

And so every chance Jackson had for the past few weeks, he'd slink on over to Lisa's with random files, trying to get a handle on this situation. At first it had been strange but over time, it had almost become normal. They'd sit side by side at her kitchen table, pouring over the seemingly never ending abyss of information. It had become tiresome and Jackson had laid off for a few days, continuing the investigation by interviewing trustworthy people though he knew this process would get him nowhere.

He knew it would have been ten times easier finding out from Monica. He knew that Monica had some sort of information on Ernesto and Ryan's whereabouts, but it would take forever to regain her confidence and trust. Besides, she was now a woman scorned. She'd often ask him over for dinner or out for drinks. All requests had been politely denied by Jackson, but Monica was not one to tolerate rejection. She punished Jackson, placing him on trivial missions and giving him the cold shoulder. Jackson had suddenly become aware of Monica's infatuation with him and realized the dangerous situation he was now in.

Monica had also been following him closer than he had anticipated. He knew Monica very well and understood she was not a woman that gave up easily. She'd hunt him down until she either had him for her own or had him so beaten down he'd be as good as dead.

He sighed as he climbed behind the wheel. A vibration in his pocket confused him for a moment before he realized it was his cell phone. "Lisa calling..." was on the display. He shook his head and glanced at himself in the rearview mirror. What an incredible mess he had gotten himself into.


	9. I'll Be in Touch

By the time Jackson reached Lisa's apartment, the rain had slicked the roads and destroyed hundreds of bunches. He went around the block once just to verify he wasn't being tracked by one of Monica's goons.

Satisfied with his findings, he parked a few blocks over and grabbed his umbrella for the long, rainy walk. He could see the lights on in Lisa's place but could barely make out what was in front of him due to the blinding rain.

He walked around the back, as had become custom, and Lisa was already waiting at the back door with a towel.

Jackson grabbed the towel and shook from the cold that seemed to run right through him. Lisa handed him a cup of steaming coffee and plopped down on the couch.

After drying off and pulling off his water-soaked shoes, Jackson finally allowed himself to look around the place. It wasn't as tidy as last month. Lisa had her hair in a messy bun and she was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. Although she wasn't as put together as she usually was, she was still pretty cute. And the towel and coffee definitely put Jackson in a better mood. Lisa was always doing these nice little things and she always managed to surprise him a new and exciting way. He couldn't put his finger on why uncovering Lisa in sweatpants was so attractive, and he wasn't so sure he cared. He just knew he enjoyed seeing her like this.

"Did you get a chance to look at Monica's computer yet?" Lisa asked him, twirling one of her loose curls with her finger.

Her voice snapped him out of his daydream and he cleared his throat, making his way over to the sofa.

"I already told you that would be next to impossible," he snickered, easing down on the sofa as to not spill any of the coffee or her nice white sofa and carpet.

"Jack, last time you said you'd work on it. We're not going to get anywhere without her."

Jackson sighed and rubbed his endlessly tired eyes. He was tired of this situation. Helping Lisa had made him feel a little better somehow, and being close to her was enough to make him almost want to quit the business. However, she was constantly nagging him to do things that could practically get him killed. He hoped she didn't realize that because it would really be ironic to be so attracted to a woman that _was_ knowingly sending him to near-death. If it hadn't been for Lisa, he would have skipped town months ago. And yet, here he was, sitting on her sofa with coffee talking about stealing _fucking_ Monica's computer. Monica- the only person that could make Jackson's skin crawl because of her pure evilness. Monica who would find a way to kill Jackson and bring him back so she could torture and kill him again.

"Lisa, you don't seem to realize who I'm dealing with. You go to your little hotel and deal with your sweet little bosses who pinch your cheek and tell you what a nice little fucking job you're doing while I get whacked on the side of head and get knives placed at my throat. Give me a little time. I promise you, I'll get the information. I'm trying to regain her trust again, which is next to impossible because you keep demanding I come over."

Lisa jumped up and began pacing. Her face was red and blotchy and she kept rubbing her hands together.

"Jackson, someone's been following my father. I noticed when I was with him. They're not following me, they're following him. And they want me to _know _it, too. I obviously don't have much time and you're sitting there smiling up at me doing nothing! Now I really appreciate the fact that you're risking your neck for me every day, but you knew that when you signed on. Why the hell did you volunteer if you knew you couldn't handle the freaking consequences!"

Jackson couldn't help but smile. He enjoyed seeing her angry. She was her most attractive then. When screaming, she was no longer just a weak, pretty little girl but a fiery and domineering woman.

"Lisa, I hardly recall stating I was risking my neck for _you_. Naturally, I have my own agenda. I signed on to help you for the sheer fun of it. It's you, Lisa, who can't handle the consequences. You made a deal with the devil. So suck it up and for God's sake, have a little patience."

She stopped pacing and stood over him, peering into his eyes.

"Patience will kill us all. I guess not you, though. No wonder you're not worried."

"They're not going to kill you or anyone you know without giving me a head's up first. I guarantee you that. They'll want to rub it in. I assure you nothing's going to happen to you in the near-future. But I can't come visit you for a while. Call me if and when you feel it's necessary, but I can't come see you in the flesh. Monica is becoming suspicious and we don't want to piss her off. Got it?"

Lisa marveled at Jackson's ability to be in control even while sitting in her apartment with her standing over him. She nodded and walked away to pour herself a glass of vodka.

"Tsk, tsk, Lisa. I see you've moved on to vodka. I hope you aren't developing some sort of drinking problem. We certainly can't tolerate that right now."

She made a face and took a big gulp.

"Are you done? Just go."

Jackson smiled at her, making Lisa want to go over and smack him. She turned her back to him and enjoyed her drink, secretly hoping he'd stay for a little more. His presence somehow comforted him. She hadn't really seen anyone lately except her father. Cynthia had picked up night shifts, leaving Lisa during the day. Lisa felt like she had no life now except working and meeting secretly with Jackson, which was pretty rare anyway.

"I'll be in touch," he said.

Lisa rolled her eyes and spun around. "I'll hold my br-"

Jackson had already slipped out. Lisa felt something on her cheek and astonished, she realized she had begun crying.

She refilled her drink and turned on a classic movie.

_He'll be in touch_.

Lisa hoped that meant soon.


	10. Tiger Unleashed

_I know it's been a while and I just wanted to make a little quick update to let you all know I'm still alive and I'm still working with this story. I'm done with school so this'll give me a little more time to work on it. Thanks for all the great reviews- you guys are the best. Keep them coming and enjoy this little taste of things to come_ ).

* * *

Monica twirled her drink around and observed the ice cubes knocking around in the glass. She preferred to focus her attention on that right now rather than hear what her very trusted assistant was telling her.

She had been betrayed before, but this was by far the most hurtful and conniving attempt to undermine her.

"And you're sure it was him- Jack?"

"Yes," Colin, her assistant, said. He then nodded his head. "100 positive. Sorry, Monica."

Monica sighed and dismissed him.

Jackson had fucked her over once before by messing up the last job and what did she do? She helped him out. She saved his neck. She gave him another life. She was so stupid. Now he was fucking her over again, only worse, he was messing with her emotions. And he was embarassing her in front of her employees and clients. That was something she just could not have.

This would have serious repercussions. _This_ time, she was getting payback.

Monica smiled viciously. She knew exactly what to do. _Oh_, how she loved a little nice game of revenge.


	11. Genesis

Lisa couldn't shake the feeling someone was following her. Ever since she left the Lux Atlantic, she felt the prickly sensation at the back of her neck someone was watching her and tailing her every move. Lisa at first shook it off as paranoia but could no longer ignore the persistent feeling.

On the way home, she wanted to stop at the grocery store. She saw a tan Honda there that she had noticed driving behind her that very morning on her way to work. She had noticed the car because it had been following her the, what seemed to her, entire way.

Still, she ignored it and shrugged it off as mere coincidence. She went inside and picked up the things she wanted and when she came out, the tan car was gone. She let out a long breath and laughed a little at herself.

When she got back to her apartment, she unloaded her groceries and checked her messages. She heard a little click out in the hallway and, completely terrified, tiptoed to see what it was. Lisa dropped the glass in her hand when she saw her door was wide open. She knew for a fact she had shut it when she came in.

A floorboard creaked behind her. Quickly she flung around her arm. Her fist made contact with a face and there was a loud crunching sound.

"Fuck!" the man yelled out.

Lisa quickly grabbed a knife and held it over the man. "Now what, you asshole! I'm picking up my phone to call the cops right now."

"Lisa, you fucking idiot!"

"Jack?" Lisa asked, backing away a bit.

Jackson sat up and wiped the blood off his nose. "Impressive. I think you broke it."

"Oh, my God," Lisa said, trying to help him up.

Jackson knocked away her hand and got up. "At least you weren't holding a gun or anything."

Lisa slapped him.

"Ow, what the-"

"Jackson, what the hell! How _dare_ you just come in here? You couldn't knock? You couldn't call and say you were coming? What's _wrong_ with you? Why didn't you try the back door; you know where the spare is for God's sakes! And wha-"

Jackson placed his hand over her mouth.

"Chill out, Leese. I rushed out of where I was staying today. I didn't bring anything with me- including my cell. And I couldn't hang outside for too long; they're probably watching."

Jackson calmly walked over to her front door and closed and locked it. He turned around and smiled at her, as though he was amused by a private joke in his head. He made his way over to her freezer and pulled out some ice.

"Jackson… you left? You mean… What's going on?"

Jackson sighed a bit and plopped down on her sofa. He played a little with the ice in his hands.

"They know. Somehow they know. I haven't figured out how yet, but they know. They're on to me. They've been following me around. I'm sure that Monica got a whiff of it now, too."

"How long have you known?" Lisa asked, suddenly feeling weak in the knees.

She sat down next to him, desperate to know information but frightened to know anything else at the same time.

Jackson sighed and poked his nose a bit.

"I don't think it's broken, thankfully."

Lisa glared at him and eventually he met her eyes.

"Okay, Lisa. I've been staying in an apartment with this guy, Louis. We drive around a lot together, doing whatever Monica asks. We both picked up on the fact that we were being followed but Louis… Louis was convinced it was the feds or something. He was totally paranoid, now taking extra precautions. But it didn't matter; we couldn't shake off whoever it was. From the very beginning, I had this feeling it was one of Monica's people. I was convinced, as a matter of fact, but I was reluctant to admit it."

Jackson paused for a minute. He got up and went over to her liquor cabinet. He poured himself a glass of scotch and gulped it down. He poured himself another and sat back down again next to Lisa.

"My refusal to trust my gut got Louis killed. We were sitting in a parking lot of some bar, watching this guy that owed Monica money. We were just supposed to sit there; Monica wanted us to scare him. The pussy didn't leave the bar the whole day."

Lisa had grown antsy.

"Get to the point, Jackson," she hissed.

Jackson looked her over for a minute before answering. "Anyway, it was about 3AM and the bar was shutting down. The idiot would have to come out now. So we were all prepared to trail after him for a while when the same car we'd been seeing pulled into the lot. Leese, the feds would not have known we were there. Some random prick would not have known we were there. Someone _had_ to have told them. _Someone _who knew our whereabouts. This wasn't a routine mission; this was a random location. Get my meaning?"

Lisa shook her head rapidly.

"Somebody sent them there."

"Precisely," he said, taking another big gulp from his glass. "Anyway, Louis began panicking. He's always been kind of a hothead. He was sitting in the passenger seat, staring at the car that now was parked a couple of rows behind of us. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He jumped out the car with his gun aimed at them. In five seconds, he was dead on the ground. They started shooting at me and I just bolted out of there."

Lisa stared at him in disbelief. She gulped down hard.

"But you have no idea that this is related to me. What gave you that impression? It could've been anybody, Jack."

Jackson shook his head sadly. "I caught a glimpse of one of the guys in the car."

Lisa felt her heart stop.

"Who was it?" she whispered, already knowing the answer.

Jackson ran his hand through his hair and shook his head.

"I think you can figure it out. The same prick I should've killed months ago. The _same_ asshole that we've been searching for. The guy in the car that killed Louis was none other that Ryan Daly."

Lisa shivered at the mention of his name.

"I'm gonna kill him. And when I'm done, I'm going for Ernie and Monica. I'm done with this bullshit. It's never going to be over 'til they're dead. I'm staying here for the time being, but we're going to have to be extra careful now. Don't be stupid, Lisa, or I'll make you sorry. You don't tell anybody about this. _Anybody_. Not your friends, not your precious daddy. You don't go anywhere or do anything without my permission. It's dangerous for you to be outside of this apartment, period. So until we find ourselves a safe place, you're not leaving until I say so. Don't make me repeat myself."

Jackson stroked her face for a second.

"And Lisa, don't make me sorry I'm saving your neck."

Lisa cringed back, terrified by his sudden change in behavior. Lisa had forgotten temporarily he was a cold murderer. It had been a long time she had been this afraid by him. Lisa could only find relief in the fact that at least, this time, she was on his side.

* * *

Louis' lifeless body was plopped in the ground in some deserted field. Two shapes began throwing earth and rocks on top of him. The two men whispered as they worked, careful to not make too much noise. No one usually came by, but in this job one had to take extra precautions.

"That fucking piece of crap Jackson got away. I can't believe you, Steve. You are the worst shot in history. Ernie's gonna hear about this. You're gonna be out of a job _real _soon."

Steve cursed in Russian under his breath.

"And stop speaking in Russian. I will shoot you myself."

"Daly, you forget I'm married to Ernesto's niece? Don't mess with me either. It was honest mistake- forget," Steve angrily whispered back in broken English. "It was the responsibility of you to kill the Rippner person. Don't you look at me."

Ryan shook his head, pissed off but aware that what Steve said was true. It _had _been his responsibility and his alone to kill Jackson. He couldn't believe he let him get away.

But it wasn't over, yet. Ryan knew that for sure.

Ryan smugly started to grin, happy to know that there were other plans in the works that, judging from the time on his watch, had already begun…


	12. A Promise

**Hey, all. I apologize it's taken me so long to update this story. I've just been really busy with graduation stuff and have unfortunately not had the chance to do my favorite thing of all! Thankfully a temporary bout of insomnia allowed me to sit down and write this chapter. As always, I hope you all enjoy and review. Thanks for reading and for being patient with me.**

* * *

Joe Reisert was at the supermarket, debating between a frozen TV dinner and a frozen box of pizza. He decided to go with the TV dinner. Next, he got some eggs and with a sigh of relief, completed his job. He made his way over the checkout counter cheerfully, thankful to be down with the daunting task of grocery shopping. Joe was particuarly pleased it hadn't taken him that long today. He was supposed to be meeting Lisa later for some drinks. He hadn't seen her recently, and of course, he had begun to worry.

Joe wondered sometimes if Lisa was right- if he did in fact worry _too_ much about her. But then, Joe shook his head and told himself that she was his only daughter. He had never been that knowledgable about her whereabouts and the going-ons of her life before. And look what happened. Joe shuddered to think of that boiling hot day in the parking lot of the local mall where Lisa was violated in the worst possible way. He began getting angry at the thought that the asshole got away unpunished. The unnamed creep had almost destroyed his daughter's life and would forever haunt her, and those that loved her, for the rest of their lives.

"Sir, cash or credit?" the pubescent clerk asked, bored out of his mind with his less than stimulating job and impatient with the old man lost in his thoughts.

Joe was still thinking about Lisa as he made his way to the car. He glanced at his watch. 7:42. Just enough time to eat and take a quick shower before running over to Lisa's. She had called him that morning, telling him there was something urgent they needed to discuss. It had been on his mind all day.

Joe stopped before taking his key out, suddenly aware someone was behind him. A blow to his back sent his bag of groceries flying, the eggs popping out of the container and smashing all over the pavement. Joe's last thought was of Lisa waiting for him before the darkness. And then there was nothing.

* * *

"He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago, Jack!" Lisa exclaimed, pacing in her condo. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wide open with fright.

"I understand that, Lisa. Perhaps you should call him again?"

Jackson was trying to be as patient as he possibly could under the circumstances but Lisa was really beginning to get on his nerves. The girl couldn't relax for a second. She would have never lasted in his world.

"Jackson, I have this horrible feeling like something has happened to him. You don't think… They _couldn't_ have hurt him, could they? Can't you just call someone and find out? Can't you ju-"

"I've already told you ten times I can't contact _anyone_. Now try your father again and if he doesn't come in the next twenty minutes, we'll have to leave without him."

"Jackson, I won't leave without him. No way," Lisa said, sobbing.

Jackson sat on her couch in silence for a few minutes, smirking a little and never once taking his eyes off her face.

Then all of a sudden he was on her, his hands around her throat. She was coughing and struggling for air, but Jackson's tight grip made sure that she'd get none. Her face was turning red and she had resulted to flailing her arms around in hopes of somehow inflicting pain on Jack. Her pitiful attempts for survival amused him. He pushed himself a little on her, making her squirm in displeasure.

Then, as quick as he had pounced, he stood up and adjusted his tie. Smirking, he made his way across the room and fixed himself another drink.

"Lisa, you do not seem to be comprehending what I'm saying to you. Therefore, I have to force you to listen. This is our_ lives_ we're talking about here. Not just mine, but yours, too. Now, I could leave you here to die and go on with my own life. However, it will severely piss me off to know that after sticking my neck out for you for months, after jeopardizing the future of my career, after putting my own precious life second to your despicable one, you fucking pussied out and stayed behind for daddy. Your daddy, I assure you, is most likely fine. And if he is not, I am sure he is happy that it is him in danger's way and not you. Finally, before you get us all killed, please reconsider and stop being such a woman. Have a drink, sit down, and please for your sake, calm down. Thank you."

Lisa was still on the floor, rubbing her neck and gasping for air. Stunned into silence, and acutely aware there would be more to come if she continued talking, she sat up on the chair and glared at Jackson.

"Good girl," he said to her, smirking. "Now as I was saying, if your dad does not come or call in the next twenty, we're leaving without him. Is that understood?"

Lisa limply nodded, aware now there was no other option.

"Good," Jackson replied, satisfied she was complying.

However, he remembered she had seemingly complied well on the plane, and look how that played out. He would keep a close watch over her, but something told him this time she'd go along with him. What other choice did she have, really?

"Jackson," Lisa said, practically whispering because of her sore throat, "Where will we go?"

Jackson sighed. "I haven't figured that out yet. I made a contact right before I fled to this guy Tim that I used to work with. He lives in Georgia. It's not definite, though. I'm not so positive I can trust him. We'd stay with him for a while until I could figure out our next move."

Despite her increasing worry over not hearing from her father, and the fact that Jackson had just brutally assaulted her, Lisa found comfort in the fact that Jackson was at least incorporating her in his plan for escape. She had thought he'd ditch her once they were out of Florida.

"I'm scared, Jack," she said, struggling not to cry.

Jackson sighed and rubbed his eyes. He finally looked at her and met her eyes. He nodded for a few minutes and for a moment, they bonded in their fear, or at least in their inability to know what came next.

That uncertainty did not last long. A loud banging on the front door sent Jackson's glass of vodka flying. Jackson knew any second machine guns could tear through the condo, definitely killing both instantly. It was _not_ Joe Reisert- he would not have knocked so violently… so threateningly.

Another loud bang had Lisa in Jackson's arms. She looked at him and with her eyes she seemed to ask the question "_Is this it? Is it over_?"

Jackson refused to go out the back door like a coward. Leaving the sobbing and protesting Lisa on the couch, Jack made his way to the front door. He braced himself for whatever was on the other side.

Just as he reached the door, Jackson had a moment's trepeditation. He glanced back at the pathetic sight of Lisa, who was now crumpled up on the sofa calling his name. He shook his head and wondered to himself how he ever got in this mess. He blamed his attraction for Lisa. He always knew girls were trouble and he knew, from experience, to keep away. But with Lisa, it was different. It had to be. No other woman had successfully defeated him before. No woman had gotten away from him. And certainly no woman had ever even caused Jackson to consider risking his life for her.

After letting out a deep breath, Jackson eased his way closer to the door to look through the peephole.

Jackson's wide eye was greeted with nothingness. No one was standing on the other side. Whoever had knocked so viciously just a moment before had left. Or was waiting for Jackson to open it. Knowing he'd have to get out of the condo sometime, Jackson figured he might as well open the door now. Taking another deep breath, Jackson slowly pulled the door open. Then he whipped his head out and moved it from the left to right. No suspicious character in sight.

Jackson couldn't believe it. Who had been knocking like that? Relieved that death was no longer staring them in the face, at least for now, Jackson glanced back at Lisa and smiled.

Lisa made her way over to him slowly, afraid of someone popping out.

"Uh, Jack," she said, with her attention fixed on something in the hall. "Look, someone left us a box."

Jackson looked down surprisingly and opened it cautiously, in fear it was a bomb.

When Jackson saw it was a collection of harmless scraps of paper, he brought it inside.

"What is it?" Lisa asked suspiciously.

Jackson shrugged and began investigating the contents. His stomach slowly started to turn as he saw the subject of the photos- torture. Warped torture. This poor guy was getting some treatment. Jackson took it as a message, a threat, a warning… a promise.

Lisa began looking at the photos, too. She began exclaiming "Oh, my God" and making noises of digust.

"This poor guy," she said, tossing the photos back down on the table.

Then, Lisa noticed something she hadn't before. Something about the photos was familiar to her. One picture of the man badly beaten sitting upright in a chair caught her attention. Slowly, she picked the picture up and began to inspect it.

Jackson eyed her curiously and looked down at the photo.

"What?" he asked her, "Do you know him?"

Lisa almost threw up right then and there.

With a shudder, Lisa was barely audible when he said, "_Yeah_. Yeah, that's… that's my dad."


	13. A Changed Man

Jackson had never been good at comforting others. His life had taught him to be hard, distant, and cold. He didn't know emotions such as sadness or fear. These kinds of emotions were weak and useless, especially in his business.

And yet, he felt for Lisa. Not for her father, for he was an imbecile. Lisa had warned him of the danger, and yet the old fool still got himself abducted. He felt for Lisa, though, because he knew what it was like to stare hopelessness in the face.

Jackson, too, after all, once had parents. He had once felt love. He once knew what it was like to feel for someone else.

But, that was a long time ago, and he thought he had suppressed these feelings so deep that they could never rise again. He was wrong. For here they were, bubbling up and catching in his throat so that he felt he could not breathe or else they would erupt.

Lisa was sitting on the sofa now with her head in her hands, making soft whimpering noises from time to time. Jackson felt the time getting later and later, and a panicked feeling unsettled his stomach. He knew that for any chance of survival, they had to leave now. But, try as he might, he couldn't force himself to tell her they had to leave.

He knew once he would have grabbed her by the arm and thrown her at the door to save his own skin. He would have laughed at her now, sobbing and whining for her father. But then, old Jackson wouldn't have been in this situation to start with. He would have never allowed himself to get caught up with this woman. He wouldn't have given a shit about her life. Yes, he was mad at Ryan Daly. He wanted his vengeance, of course. Still, back in the day he would never have pursued him. He would have been vigilant, listening for his name in conversations, maybe trying to find out where he was located, but he would never have set out to attack him. Ever. He had learned from experience that pricks like Daly got what was coming to them. It always seemed to work out; idiots make costly mistakes.

Jackson knew he had changed, but he couldn't figure out why. _Why_ was he helping this woman? _Why_ did he feel sorry for her now? _Why_ did he risk his own life dealing with these people when he could be sipping cocktails in Mexico? _Why_ did he want to comfort Lisa, even if he couldn't?

"Jackson?" Lisa whispered softly.

"Yeah?" he said.

"We should go."

She stood up and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She ran into her room and ran back out with a bag of clothes already packed, just in case. Jackson couldn't help but smile at her thoughtfulness. She rushed through the house, checking things. When she was sure she had everything she needed, she motioned to the door.

"Let's go," she said.

"Lisa…"

"Let's go, Jackson," she replied impatiently, already out the back door.

Jackson shrugged and followed.

Once in the car, Jackson felt safe to ask.

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she murmured, examining the pictures.

"Lisa, you should stop looking at those."

She ignored him, holding one picture up to her face. She put the car light on to get a better glance and gasped.

"What?" he asked her, eyeing her.

"I know where to go. Pull over."

"Where are we going?"

"Just pull over Jack!" she screamed, slamming her fist on the dashboard. "There's no time to fucking explain!"

Jackson had never seen her like this and so he obeyed. They switched seats and Lisa began to drive frantically, the car skidding frequently on the slick streets.

"Don't get us pulled over," Jackson said, grabbing onto the dashboard for steadiness. "This situation is bad enough, let's not get the cops involved."

"We're not going to be driving for much longer," she said flatly, practically flipping the car over as she made a sudden and sharp right turn.

"Jesus Christ," Jackson yelled, clutching his door to keep from ending up on Lisa's lap. "I hope you're not going to a friend's house or something. That would be maybe the stupidest thing to do. They'll ask around and find us in no time. I suggest we leave the state."

Lisa snorted. "We're not _going _anywhere."

Jackson stared at her. "Then what are we doing, Captain?"

"Getting back my dad and fucking _killing_ Ryan Daly."

Jackson could almost kiss her he was so proud.

"You better watch out, Leese. You're becoming my kind of girl."

She smiled but kept her eyes on the road ahead.


	14. The Warehouse

**Well it appears this story is coming to an end soon. This chapter was kind of hard for me to put together because I was unsure of how to carry this all out exactly, but I promise it's all headed for some exciting, dramatic, and action packed events. So enjoy and I will get the rest of the chapters out as fast as possible. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

As the car neared what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse, Lisa dimmed the lights.

"Well?" Jackson asked her as she inched the car closer and closer to the building.

Lisa turned the ignition off before answering.

"When we were dating, Ryan took me here sometimes. We'd go inside and just hang out… There's a river back there. We'd go up on top and just look out… It's a great view."

Jackson couldn't help noticing that Lisa appeared to be on the verge of tears. He was about to say something, anything, to comfort her when she sniffled a bit and turned to face him.

"Let's go."

Jackson was confused for an instant; his thoughts at the moment had only been centered on Lisa. He had forgotten, temporarily, where they were and what they were doing. All too soon did the grim memory come back to him and he realized how impossible the task was before them.

"Lisa, you can't seriously expect us to be able to just walk in there and get your dad back. It just doesn't work that way. We don't have that many weapons and we're only two people. I guarantee you they have at least six or eight people in there, heavily armed. We'd be dead before we even open the door. They probably already know we're here."

Lisa rolled here eyes and looked out the window.

"Jack, they have no idea we're here. I doubt they're watching out that closely- how would they ever imagine we could find them? I'm sure that Ryan forgot all about taking me here."

Jackson shook his head.

"Someone like him doesn't forget stuff like that. All of this could even be a trap."

Lisa was shaking her head now.

"No. We're getting my dad back _now_, Jackson, before they get the chance to do anything more disgusting to him. So shut up and get _out _of the car. "

"Lisa," Jackson began, softly. He even felt pity for her, which was something very new for him. "I know you're worried about your dad. But you're not thinking rationally."

Lisa looked up, surprised at his sensitive tone. Jackson noticed it, too, and automatically cleared his throat. Lisa smiled a bit, noticing he seemed a little embarrassed and uncomfortable. He shifted a little in his seat.

"And thinking irrationally right now isn't going to help either of us. I'll be dipped in _shit_ before I let you get me killed. You can do what you want… If suicide and homicide- because let me assure you, Leese, you walk in there and you can just kiss your daddy goodbye- is on your agenda, then that's your prerogative. I happen to like being alive. So if you don't mind, I'd prefer to sit this one out."

Lisa shook her head and picked up the gun Jackson had given her not too long ago. When she made a move to get out of the car, Jackson grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Seriously, Lisa. You walk in there and you're dead. Even if they're not on high alert, they still will have someone at the door. Trust me- you can't go in there now. We'll figure out a way to get your dad back. Doing it like this isn't going to help anyone. You need to plan stuff like this out."

"I don't trust you. You're not going to help me," Lisa shouted, struggling to get out of his grasp.

"I am going to help you. Stop yelling, I'm going to help you. You're going to get us killed! I _want_ to help you, Lisa."

With this, Lisa stopped struggling.

"Why?" she asked, suspiciously.

Jackson shrugged and looked uncomfortable again.

"Why?" she asked again.

"Because I wanted to. Why do I have to explain everything to you? Now get us the fuck out of here before somebody sees us."

Lisa knew with every fiber of her being she shouldn't trust this guy, but then just as much as she knew she shouldn't, she knew she did. She believed him that he was going to help. And she believed him when he said that he'd get her dad back alive. And so, despite the voice inside her head screaming _run away while you can, you stupid woman!!!!_, she started the ignition back up and slowly started to reverse out of the lot.

Jackson smiled at her and was about to say something when the entire area around them became completely shrouded in light and a loud bang made it impossible to say or hear anything. Jackson's window was shattered. Terrified, Lisa stopped the car abruptly.

"You okay?" he asked her.

Speechless, all she could do was nod.

"What the _hell _was that?" he asked, looking around.

Lisa looked up and saw Ryan in the distance with a rifle, smiling at her. She gasped and grabbed for her gun.

"Jack, he's over there!" she said, turning to him in fear.

What she saw scared her more than seeing Ryan for the first time in months. Jackson's hands were covered in blood.

"Jack…?" Lisa asked, her voice breaking slightly.

Jackson looked up at her and she could see it in his eyes.

"The bastard got me," he muttered. He opened his jacket and the blood flew out. "He got me in the fucking chest."

Lisa was frozen. She could not think; she could not speak. She couldn't move. She didn't know what to do. Before she could even attempt to act, another blast shook the car.


	15. The Truth

**I apologize that this has taken me so long to get down and submit. I know it's really annoying and confusing to have to wait such a long time for an update, but vacation and the beginning of school has kept me from giving this story my undivided attention. Not to worry though, I have most of the rest of the story planned out and I PROMISE another update will be coming within the next few days. I really like this chapter because Ernesto finally makes his first real appearance. Enjoy!**

* * *

Lisa awoke to darkness. Her shirt felt cold and damp and she was shivering. She made a move to touch the stickiness that was clumped on her left shoulder but realized her hands were shackled together on some type of pipe. A few seconds later, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she realized she was in a cellar. Tiny windows allowed the faint light of nighttime to stream through, creating a nightmarish hue that filled the small room.

Her heart rate quickened and she felt as though she was going to be sick when she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. The heavy and noisy door to the room swung open. Harsh light now flew through from the door opening, temporarily blinding her. A tall, thin figure stood in the doorway silently before making his way toward her.

Lisa saw his arm move up to a cord hanging from the ceiling and heard a dull click. A few seconds later, she heard a buzzing and then a weak light came on.

Standing before her was Ryan Daly, the man she swore to hate. She remembered every kiss, every touch. She was filled with anger, remembering that the first man she allowed herself to succumb to completely after her whole ordeal utterly and entirely betrayed her. _Well_, she thought, _he wasn't exactly the first..._

"Hello, Lisa," he said politely, smiling at her as though they were old friends.

_We are in a way_, she thought to herself.

Lisa stared back at him, hoping he could feel the heat of the anger coming from her body.

"Aw, come on. That's no way to treat an old friend. You should say hello back."

Lisa kept her dry mouth shut.

"Well, I guess you're not in the mood to chat. That's a shame though, since I have so much to tell you."

A heavy set man shuffled in with a tray of food.

"Put it down next to her, Billy. Now, I suggest you eat every crumb, sweetie. We're going to be busy for a while so we won't be able to bring you another meal tonight." His smile caused a queasiness in her stomach.

Lisa cleared her throat, praying that her voice wouldn't crack. "How do you expect me to eat?"

Ryan smiled. "So you can talk after all. Well, if you behave and answer my questions truthfully, I'll take off the cuffs."

Lisa looked down at the food before her.

"Also, I'll bring in some bandage and pain killers."

"For what?" she asked.

Ryan smiled at her. "Lisa, you are really something else. You are quite a woman. Look at your left shoulder."

Lisa looked down. Blood was everywhere. And simultaneously, pain coursed through her. She wondered how she hadn't felt it sooner.

"Didn't feel it, huh? Well not to worry. We'll get that taken care of… as long as you accept the deal. So what'll it be? Cooperate and get attended to, or be difficult and get left alone to bleed to death?"

"Cooperate," Lisa whispered. She was desperate to know where her father was. And Jack.

Never taking his eyes from her, Ryan asked Billy to bring in some alcohol and bandaging for her arm.

"Where did Jack get all of his information?" he asked her, finally looking away from her to pace the room.

"I don't know," Lisa answered, feeling even more sick than she had before.

"Lisa…" Ryan said with a condescending, scolding tone. "Lisa, I don't believe that."

"I honestly don't know. But I would guess from the lady he worked for."

"Monica?" Ryan asked with eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, I think that's the name."

Lisa knew judging by Ryan's reaction she had said something good.

"What did he plan on doing with it?"

"It's my turn," Lisa said.

Ryan forced a weak smile and nodded.

"Where's my father?"

Ryan smirked before answering. "So you're not going to ask about Jack first? That's nice. I'll be sure to tell him that. Don't worry, daddy's safe. For now. We'll talk more about that later. Now, what did he plan on doing with the stuff he got?"

"I'm not going to answer any more of your questions until you tell me more about my dad."

Ryan sighed and resumed to pacing again. "Your father is being held in a room down the hall. He's sleeping now. Happy?"

Lisa nodded. "He was getting information on my dad. He was trying to help me."

He snickered. "Lisa, Jack Rippner is a cold blooded killer. He's not going to waste his time and risk his life to help some emotionally damaged psycho find her idiot lost father. Maybe that's what he _said_ he was doing, but that for sure as hell was not his real intention."

"I only know what he told me."

Ryan nodded and scanned the room. He walked over and shut off the light and stood there in the silent darkness, staring for a moment. Then, he rushed out and slammed the door behind him.

Back in the darkness, Lisa let the tears fall. _Please, God. Let Jack be alright._

* * *

"I don't know, Ernie. I think she's telling the truth. She thought the prick was helping her. She's stupid enough to believe it, too. After all, she believed me."

Ernesto Salvavida leaned against the wall, picking at his nails with his lucky pocket knife. His deeply lined face was heavy with thought, and though he seemed more engrossed with his nails, he was listening to every word very carefully.

"Honestly, Ryan. I think _you're_ stupid enough to believe her. This chick got past Jackson. What makes you think she can't get past you?

Ryan looked at the floor. "So what do you think?"

Ernesto sighed, putting the knife back in his pocket. "I think that he was helping her. I think they were working together. I think she got to him. And I think she knows more than she's saying."

"Come on. Jack's not dumb enough to stick around for some woman."

"_Any _man, when they find the right woman, will sacrifice themselves. Jackson's no different. Besides, he was pissed about the demotion. Monica told me that much."

"Still, Ernie… I don't know. Even if she did get to him, Jack loves himself too much to begin a suicide mission."

Ernesto said nothing but made his way to the door of the tiny room that held the now sobbing Lisa.

"What are you going to do?" Ryan asked.

"Get the truth," Ernesto said before slipping inside the darkness.

Despite being a cold blooded killer himself, Ryan couldn't help but feel for Lisa at that moment.


	16. The Game

Jackson's eyelids lifted up slightly, but he felt like they were too heavy to open. Finally they opened to complete darkness. He sat up on the floor he was laying on but before he could take in his surroundings, an indescribable pain pounded within his head. He tried to lift his hand to his head but realized his arms were shackled together.

His eyes had adjusted somewhat and he saw that he was in a very small room, probably in the basement of whatever building he was in. A small window close to the ceiling allowed a little light in, letting Jackson at least see there was nothing, and no one, else in the room.

He tried to drag himself across the floor to the door, but was in way too much pain. That's when he remembered. He had been shot in his chest. His shirt was drenched in blood and the coldness he felt disturbed him. He realized he very well could die.

"_Shit_," he said out loud. This cracked him up slightly and within minutes he was laughing hysterically.

The door to his room swung open and a figure stood before him.

"What the hell… What are you laughing at?" Ryan's voice asked, perplexed.

"Oh, God. That was hilarious."

"What the fuck are you laughing at?" Ryan repeated, getting closer.

"Life, Ryan. Life."

"Right. I guess you're losing your mind. Quite common in people who are about to die. Then again you lost your mind a long time ago when you agreed to stick around and help that bitch," Ryan said, standing on top of him.

Jackson stiffened.

"Why'd you do it, Jack?" he asked, kneeling down so close in front of him Jackson could see him through the darkness.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ryan chuckled a little and stood up again. "Who am I kidding? Do I really need to ask? She's great in bed. I always thought so. I must admit, I was quite upset when Ernesto told me to get out. I was having a lot of fun with her. Kinda kinky, though, wouldn't you say? Then again, you probably like that."

Jackson forced himself to swallow down the things he wanted to say to him. Ryan was hitting a nerve, but he forgot Jack had been trained well. He barely flinched.

"You're right. She's amazing. She didn't quite say the same for you, though."

Ryan chuckled again. "I admire you, Jack. I really do. Still able to keep a cool head, even when death's staring you right in the eyeballs. Gotta hand it to you, you're one of the best."

"Thank you," Jack muttered.

"Anyway," Ryan said, pulling down the chord of the light on the ceiling.

The light hurt Jackson's eyes and increased the pain of his unbearable migraine.

"I have a few questions to ask. Shouldn't take long. Then it can all be over."

Jackson snorted. "You're quite the negotiator, Daly. What the hell makes you think I'm going to tell you anything."

Ryan smirked and looked away, rubbing his chin. He started laughing to himself, as though what Jackson said had been hilarious.

"You forget I have a few cards up my sleeve."

"Like?" Jackson asked, growing impatient. He couldn't help but think how fitting it was that he was going to be murdered by such an idiot. It kept up with the theme of his amusing life.

Ryan's smile got wider. "Lisa."

Jackson snorted again. "Some bargaining chip."

Ryan tooted and began pacing the room again, like a panther eyeing its prey.

"Jack. It's such a shame you're going to deny your feelings for her in the last few moments of your life. Really kind of sad, if you think about it. You owe it to yourself to own up to your feelings for the first, and sadly, the last time in your life."

"Do what you want with her," he coolly replied, a smirk of his own growing.

Ryan's smile faded somewhat.

"You said _cards_, Daly. I presume that you meant plural. What else are you offering for my information?"

"Lisa's father."

Jackson's laughter echoed throughout the cell, causing Ryan's smile to disappear completely from his face. He rushed over and smacked Jackson across the face. Blood trickled down from his lip, but his smile could not be smacked off.

"What about the way you're going to die, Jackson? You want to be humiliated in death after you took such meticulous care to be thought of as respectable, admirable in life? Do you want it to be fast or do you want it to be drawn out, tortuous? These are my chips, Jackson. Take 'em or leave 'em. One way or another, you're going to die."

Jackson sucked in a deep breath for a few moments and seemed to be in deep thought. Finally he looked up at Ryan in the eye.

"Damn, Ryan. I always dreamed of dying as an old man… When I was ninety or something. After I was married, with some kids…"

Ryan smiled slightly, finding this amusing.

"Yes… and I imagined taking a nap on a beautiful countryside hill, with daisies all around me. And that's how I would go. And with fairies _fucking_ dancing around my head … Is _this _what you want me to fucking say? I don't give a shit if you kill me or not. Just get out of my face, you worthless piece of-"

This earned him another smack.

"Tell me how you got your information! Now! Or I'll bring that bitch in here right now and do some pretty unspeakable things to her and kill her… right before your eyes. How's that sound, my friend? Like that?" Ryan shouted.

Jackson sighed and forced his mouth into his old smile.

"What the hell," he shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

* * *

Ernesto had Lisa's silky hair in between his fingers.

"It's quite a shame that such beauty as yours is to go to waste. Such a shame," he tooted.

She gulped, wishing he'd get his dirty disfigured hands away from her.

He smiled at her, knowing he was making her feel uncomfortable, and made his way back to his seat.

"So," he said, sighing, "I'll ask you again. What kind of relationship did you have with Jackson Rippner?"

She eyed him for a few moments. "My answer is not different."

"I know he was helping you, Lisa. I know someone was helping the two of you out. I know you feel more for him than you let on. I want to know what you know, how you know it, and why you know it. I want to know who helped you. Or else, like I said before, your father is going to disappear."

With that he snapped his fingers. "Whoosh. Just like that. That's a promise, princess. Not to mention what I'm going to do to you."

Lisa tried to swallow back the tears but they could not be stopped. She licked her lips and fought back the urge to scream. She was tired and she was scared.

_Jack, where _are_ you?_ She wondered. She thought for certain he'd somehow escape and run to help her. Unless he really didn't care after all and escaped without her. Or, she shuddered, unless he was dead.

She met eyes with Ernie, whose smile revealed 4 missing teeth. She swallowed down the vomit she was sure was coming.

"I'll tell you what you want to know."

* * *

"So you're telling me," Ryan started in disbelief, "that because she had a crush on you, Monica gave up all this information to you? Just like that?"

Jackson smirked. "Not _just_ because of that, but it was part of it. Truth be told she was resenting Ernesto's hold on her. She hates him, she says. She's been making plans for forever to take him out. I've got names, dates, plans. You want them? I'll give it all to you and Ernesto, and I'll even help you to take her out, _if_ you give something to me."

"Naturally," Ryan answered flatly, not meaning it at all.

"I want to stay alive. I'm a selfish bastard. I'm not afraid to admit I don't want to die. So if I tell you all this crap, you let me go and I promise to leave the country and pretend like I don't exist."

Ryan thought for a few minutes and began to pace the room again. Not in a confident, intimidating way as before, but like an unsure little boy.

"I'm going to have to talk to Ernie."

"Naturally," Jackson responded back, suppressing a smile.

Ryan made his way to the door, throwing Jack one glance before slamming and locking the door behind him.

Jackson smirked to himself with the knowledge that Ernesto was a selfish bastard, too, and that he was pretty fond of living. He was also aware that there had always been tension between Monica and Ernie. He nearly giggled when he thought how truly wonderful this little lie was.

His smile faded, however, when he thought about Lisa and what a state she must be in by now. Maybe her spectacle would work to his advantage. Maybe they'd be too distracted by her to pay much attention to him.

_Don't do anything stupid, Leese_, he thought to himself before the pain in his chest and head overwhelmed him and he fell asleep.


	17. A Window of Opportunity

Ernesto paced the hallway nervously and allowed the news to sink in.

"Monica?" he asked incredulously for the hundredth time. "He _really_ said Monica?"

"Ask him yourself," Ryan snapped back. "What the hell do you want to do?"

Ernesto turned back to him when he heard his tone and glared back.

Ryan's eyes widened and he gulped audibly.

"Now," Ernesto began, smiling and regaining his composure. "Let me go have a word with Mr. Jack. You go in and talk to Ms. Reisert. She's willing to be cooperative now."

Ryan snorted but entered the room nevertheless.

* * *

Jackson woke with a start when the door violently thrust open. He wasn't surprised to see Ernesto slink in with a dangerous look on his face. Underneath the tough façade, Jack knew he was terrified.

"So, Mr. Rippner. It's been _far_ too long."

Jack just stared back. One of Ernesto's assistants brought him in a chair and scampered out, closing the heavy door behind him.

Ernesto eased his fat body onto the much smaller chair and he shifted uncomfortably, much to Jackson's amusement.

"Anyway, Ryan has informed me that you hold Monica responsible for all of this. Please explain this to me."

"I've already told him everything," Jack said, his eyes flashing. He had never been intimidated by Ernesto.

"I'd like to hear it for myself, if you don't mind."

Jackson took in a deep breath, grimacing in pain at the impact this had on his still-bleeding wound. He couldn't help but notice Ernesto's smug little smirk.

"Monica is tired of following your orders. She'll do anything to destroy you. That's the bottom line."

Ernesto cleared his throat and stood up. He paced around for a few moments with his hands in his pockets. Then he glanced over at Jack and smiled.

"Oh, Jack. You never learn! That bitch sold you out a couple of days ago. Why do you think I stepped in now? She's not protecting you anymore. She figured out you were getting information from her. I must admit, for a moment I was concerned that she was trying to set me up, you know, because she'd do that. But, no, Jack, I know for a fact that if she wanted to kill me, she'd pick up the fucking gun herself with her painted nails and everything. She wouldn't get someone like you, someone she no longer trusts, to get me. So, I'm sorry, Jack, but that don't fly. And now, with nothing stopping me, I can finally do what I've wanted to do all along. You know too much. That bitch in the other room knows too much. And now her daddy knows far too much. I think you're smart enough to figure out what all that means."

Jackson expected this. He knew Monica was on to him. He knew she was that vindictive. He had no idea, however, that Ernesto could be that secure with his life when it came to Monica. He swallowed and decided to take a gamble.

"Ernesto. Listen. She wants you dead. Okay, so I wasn't her guy for that. But I know things. Valuable things. I always preferred working with you, anyway. Don't you want to live, Ernie?"

Ernesto ran his eyes over Jack's face, attempting to determine whether or not he was telling the truth.

"Yeah, I wanna live. But I don't trust _you _with _my _life."

"That's fine, Ernie, but you can still keep me alive long enough to figure out if I'm telling the truth. Keep me tied up, whatever. But I'll tell you all you need to know and more."

Ernesto snorted. "And what do you want in return for your helpfulness?"

"If you find my information satisfactory, I want to be released."

"Right. What about the broad?" Ernesto said, smirking.

"What about her?" he said back, twisting his mouth into a sneer of his own.

* * *

Ryan and Lisa stared at each other in silence. Lisa's stomach grumbled, reminding her that she was starving. Ryan smiled at her.

"Hungry, doll?"

She just stared at the floor.

"Ernie said you had things to tell us. I want to hear it."

"I think I'm going to be sick," she said. Her stomach felt disgusting and the pain from her arm was unbearable.

Ryan sighed. "I don't care. Tell me what you know or you're gonna feel a lot sicker."

"You're such a bastard," she said to him, meeting his eyes again. "You're repulsive. I hope you fucking rot in hell."

He got up in such a swift movement Lisa hardly knew what was happening. She felt a blow to the side of her face. The impact caused her head to fling completely to the left side and the back of her head hit the cement wall. He pulled on her hair and tugged it, bringing her face near his.

"Same here, sweetheart. Every time I had to kiss you I thought I was gonna be sick. But, unlike _you_, I'm strong. _I'm_ a professional. So shut the hell up or I'll gag you and let my friend Billy have a little fun with you. Remember Billy? He seems to be a real fan of yours."

He slowly loosened his hold on her and walked away. She could feel warm blood dripping from the side of her mouth and her face was already swelling.

"Are you gonna be a good little girl now?"

She glared at him in silence. He smacked her again, causing a brief involuntary howl of pain to come from her mouth.

"Answer me!"

"Yes," she whispered.

"I can't hear you."

"_Yes_," she said more forcefully.

"What do you know, Lisa?"

"I'll tell you everything if you let me use the bathroom."

Ryan laughed bitterly. "Right. I think you can hold it long enough to talk to me."

"I really have to go but if you want me to go here, that's fine. I guess you wouldn't mind cleaning it up…"

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, fine. Make it fast."

He came over and took off the cuffs. He picked her up roughly and practically threw her towards the door. She fell against it and banged her poor head once more.

Ryan knocked on it and the Billy he had mentioned before opened it cautiously.

"The little lady needs to use the bathroom," Ryan said quickly.

Ryan led Lisa down a long dark hall. She glanced around, desperate for something to use to hit him.

"This room right here. I'll be waiting just outside. Hurry up."

Lisa nodded weakly and opened the heavy door. The room was dark and when she felt around for a switch, she realized there was none. She turned questioningly towards Ryan, who shrugged his shoulders.

"You really need a light on when you pee?"

She sighed and walked in, closing the door behind her. She saw a faint light coming from the far corner of the rather large room. She walked over, bumping her shin on things along the way. As she came closer, she realized it was a small window.

She ran over to it and saw that it was early morning on a very rainy, dark day. The window was quite small, but she thought she just might fit through it.

_Then what?_ She asked herself. _I have no car, no money. We're far away from everything._

She still thought it was worth it. She felt the cool window and realized the glass was pretty thin. She felt around on the floor but there was nothing she could use to break it.

She realized she'd have to use her elbow. Bracing herself for the inevitable pain, she counted to five and then thrust her arm forward into the glass.

The shattering noise wasn't that loud at all, much to her relief. However, there was still a loud knock at the door. She had to bite her hand to keep from screaming.

"Lisa?" she heard Ryan say.

"What?" she yelled back.

"What's taking so long?"

"I'll be out in a minute," she said, hoping he couldn't hear the terror in her voice.

"Hurry up!" he barked.

Realizing there was no time left, she desperately tried to put her arms out the window in an effort to thrust the rest of her body up. Every time she did so, however, the immense pain that ached in her arm made her nearly howl out in pain. She didn't have any strength left; it was a lost cause.

Ryan barked out "Lisa!" again. She started panting in fear.

She knew if she didn't get out that window, she was never getting out. They had every intention of killing her and her father, and maybe Jack, too. She had to get out and get help. She just _had_ to!


	18. Friends?

**I absolutely loved writing this chapter; to be honest, it wrote itself. To me, it's probably the most important one of all- the two characters have evolved and progressed so much! The end is unfortunately near, my friends. I'm thinking maybe another 2 or 3 chapters tops, though I never really want to end this story. I want to thank everyone for your great reviews; they have helped me and motivated me so much. Read, enjoy, and keep the reviews coming!**

* * *

Despite her serious wounds and fatigue, Lisa was crawling through the window. It was the same fear and the determination to live she had felt that day in the parking lot and that day on the plane that was coursing through her again, giving her the strength she needed to hoist herself up.

A few unbearably painful seconds later, Lisa found herself panting in wet mud. She stood up quickly, knowing any minute Ryan would be barging through the door to find an empty room and a broken window.

Her bare feet sunk into the disgusting wet soil as she began to run toward the trees she saw in the distance. She looked around anxiously to see if any people were outside. It appeared to be clear, but if Lisa had learned anything throughout this entire experience, it was that things were never as they seemed.

Sure enough, bullets began whizzing past her head and ricocheting off the mud. She turned to see some man she didn't recognize pointing a gun at her.

She increased her pace, knowing it was way too late to give up now. She was dead either way; she might as well die trying.

All of a sudden, Lisa felt something grip her arm. The force brought her facedown, sending mud up her nose in the process.

A hand pulled back her head.

"_What do you think you're doing?!_"

Lisa groaned in pain as she looked up to see Ryan standing above her with danger threatening in his eyes.

"I could kill you right here!"

"_Then why don't you?_" Tears of anger, frustration, exhaustion, and pain began to run down her cheeks.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? No such luck, babe."

With that Ryan dragged Lisa back to the building. Lisa was thrown into a different room altogether but at this point she didn't care; she accepted the fact she was going to die here. She looked around in the darkness and sighed.

A slight moan startled her.

"Hello?"

There was no response but Lisa was sure she could hear someone breathing.

"Dad?"

She started walking toward the direction of the sound and soon collided with a wall.

"Lisa, it's Jack."

"_Jack!_" she whispered. She had never been so happy to hear his voice. "_You're alive!_"

"Barely," he murmured.

"Where are you?" she asked as she felt her way in the darkness.

"Next to you, I think. On the floor."

She slid down the wall and plopped right next to him.

"How are you doing?" he asked her. She could hear that he was in pain; she'd never heard his voice so weak before.

"Okay, I guess. I just failed at escaping. Turns out I suck at this… I wasn't out a minute and they were already shooting at me."

Jackson sighed. "I guess you just got lucky with me. Figures."

"We're going to die, aren't we?" she whispered as she moved closer to him. She felt him take in a deep breath.

"Yeah," he whispered back. "I think so, Leese. They didn't buy what I said, so I'm thinking there's no hope left. Sorry you have to die in my presence; I know how disappointing that must be for you."

She didn't say anything back as she put her head on his shoulder. She half expected him to say something nasty and mock her vulnerability, or move his shoulder away, but he left it there.

"I never wanted to be in this business, you know," he said softly. "My dad was a lawyer. I think I would have liked that. He was killed when I was young though, so naturally that made me into quite the angry teenager. It just all spiraled downward after that. But still, I never killed anyone back then. I just lied, cheated, stole, had lots of girlfriends, did drugs. The usual bad stuff a teenaged rebel does when no one cares enough to stop him."

"How'd you get into it?" Lisa breathed, her voice shaking with fear.

She was terrified but talking was definitely helping her and besides, this was something she'd always wanted to know: why Jackson was the way he was. She would have preferred hearing it in her apartment or something when death wasn't hovering over them but that unfortunately wasn't possible now.

She felt Jackson shrug. "Who knows? I don't even anymore. How does anyone get into anything? You're in it before you even realize it. Jeremy- remember him?"

He waited until she said yes before continuing.

"He was into it first, believe it or not. Petty stuff, you know. Threatening, stealing, intimidating. He kind of got me into it I guess, though I'd been looking for it before I even knew what it was. Know what I mean? I was always looking for trouble, some kind of power."

"So you just decided to become a murderer? How did you start killing people?"

He chuckled at that. "I never intended on it, Leese. And it wasn't my sole occupation; I preformed various tasks. The first guy I killed was the one responsible for my dad's death. Once you start I guess you can't stop, because it was easier after that. I didn't turn down the missions that required a little more… force anymore. I guess I was still pretty angry. But- ah!"

He stopped then, drawing in a sharp breath.

"What?" Lisa was alarmed now. She had forgotten how badly hurt he was.

"Nothing," he groaned.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do…"

He just shrugged again. "Anyway, like I said before, it all just happened. I got into it fairly quickly and became quite an expert. I straightened my life up a bit then. It felt to be good at something."

"What do you think your dad would have thought of it?" She knew it was a very personal question to ask but she couldn't help herself. It was the most human thing she'd heard about Jackson- before she got this close to him she never even thought about him having parents.

"Getting bold, eh? Just because we're dying together doesn't mean we're best friends."

"Really?" Lisa put her arm around him and whispered in his ear, "I think it does."

He laughed then but stopped when it hurt too much. "Maybe you're right. That's the first and last time I'll admit it."

"You're too clever," she teased.

"I think I'm going to sleep for a bit… I'm worn out. Wake me up when they come in with the gun so I can at least laugh in their face before I die."

She sighed. "Why don't you put my head on your lap?"

"Yeah, right."

"Really. It's more comfortable than the cement wall."

She could feel him trying to stare at her but she knew it was far too dark.

"What happened to Lisa Reisert, the damaged meek hotel manager that cringed every time I touched her?"

"That was just my cover," she teased. "I was really a secret agent the whole time. I was actually sent to kill _you_."

He laughed softly. "I should have known!"

"Lay down, Jack," she said, feeling around for his head and gently pushing down.

"Just for a bit, I guess. I'm not even _that_ tired..."

In less than a minute she heard his deep, even breathing and she knew he was asleep. She let herself cry then, knowing they were going to die and there was nothing anyone could do, even Jackson; knowing she'd never see her father again; knowing she had fallen in love with Jackson somewhere along the lines and she'd never be able to tell him now; knowing that because of his injuries, he was probably going to die first. And for the first time in a long time, he wouldn't be there to protect her anymore. She'd gotten used to him always lurking around, watching her back.

She choked on a sob and stroked Jackson's head.

_At least we're together now_, she thought before her exhaustion won over and her eyes slowly shut.


	19. Tell Me A Story

**So I'm updating again with the biggest chapter I've ever written. There is a lot going on here and a lot of build up for what's to come. I'm playing around with what happens next- I can't make up my mind- so the next update won't be for at least another week. I hope you all enjoy this- there's a lot happening and a lot of things I'm not so sure everyone will like... And, as always, thanks for the ever helpful reviews. Anybody have any suggestions about what happens next? I'd be glad to hear them! **

* * *

Ernesto looked up from the messy files strewn across his desk to glare at Ryan, who had been pacing the floor and whining for the past hour.

"What are you crying about now?" Ernesto sighed, rubbing his temples. The migraine he had was getting worse.

"_For Christ's sake_, haven't you been listening? What are we going to do about Mr. Reisert?!"

Ernesto stared silently at him, causing Ryan to flinch a bit. He knew he'd crossed the line and sweat began to trickle down his back. He debated turning and running out but he decided that would only make things worse for him.

Calmly, Ernesto went into a drawer beside him and pulled out a gun. He aimed it at Ryan who threw his arms up defensively and started stuttering. Ernesto pulled the trigger as he shifted the gun to aim just over Ryan's left shoulder. The bullet burst out violently, the sound booming over Ryan's screams. Ernesto looked him over blankly and gave a disinterested sigh.

A few seconds later, Ryan slowly slid his eyes open. He frantically looked his body over for a bullet hole but there was none. Confused, he looked around and saw the bullet lodged in the wooden door of the room. He looked back to Ernesto who was glaring at him and still holding the gun up. As calmly as he took it out, he placed the gun back into the drawer.

"Now get out of my sight."

Ryan gulped and wordlessly backed up to the door, terrified to turn his back in case Ernesto decided to pull out the gun again. He shook as he closed the door behind him and faced Billy who was waiting in the hall.

"I heard a gunshot. What the hell happened?" Billy took in Ryan's face which was covered in sweat. He also noticed Ryan's eyes were glassy with fear and seemed to look right through him. "Ryan?"

Silently, Ryan made his way past him and walked down to the bathroom at the end of the hallway. Billy watched him go and looked back at Ernesto's door. He knocked with trepidation and prepared himself for the worst.

The knock was answered with a grunt, followed by, "_What the fuck do you want?!_"

"It's Billy, I need to talk to you."

Ernesto grunted again. He didn't say anything in response but Billy figured it was safe enough to come in. His eyes flicked down to Ernesto's desk where a big shiny black gun sat. Ernie had his fingers resting on it gracefully… threateningly.

"Ernie, I- uh, I want to know what we're doing with Mr. Reisert. He's becoming more and more difficult."

"I don't see how he could be causing any problems, as long as you're doing everything correctly."

Ernesto caught the expression on Billy's face and the reason for his and Ryan's concern dawned on him immediately; they weren't merely curious- they were questioning his authority. Normally, Ernesto had all of these things squared away from the get go. There were never any loose ends, any prisoners kept for an extended period of time. Granted, there were extenuating circumstances and other parties involved that prevented him from acting the way he wanted this time. Still, however, he usually had a tight grip on things and still managed to keep everything neat and professional. Now, he inactively sat on an uncomfortable chair, sweating with a major stress migraine. His men were getting tired of him and of guarding a near-death man.

"We did all of it right, Ernie, I swear. It's just that it's becoming a real hassle to hear him yelling all day long and have him bite us every time we go in to shut him up…"

Ernesto sighed. The truth was he didn't know what the hell to do at this point. He was having a difficult time figuring out how to do away with Jackson, Lisa, and Mr. Reisert in a way that would cause the least amount of suspicion. It was clear that once the feds found out both Lisa Reisert and Jackson Rippner were missing, they'd put two and two together and figure out it had something to do with the Charles Keefe assassination attempt. Ordinarily, Ernesto wouldn't be so worried about the feds- after all, the case had been under investigation immediately after the incident and the feds were still completely clueless. The disappearance and likely murders of Jackson and Lisa, however, would certainly complicate things. They'd step up the investigation and, considering who Ernesto had put on this botched project, they could very possibly find some careless mistakes. Ernesto groaned with the memory of putting Ryan on this project; he always knew he was a fuck-up. The kid had even slept with the chick, something Ernesto had never ever advocated. When he flipped out on him, Ryan just stood there grinning and shrugged- he told Ernie that he figured why not. It would be good fun. Ernesto knew that all the men in this business were selfish, including him, but the difference was that Ryan was stupid. Very stupid. And very, very careless. The only thing that comforted Ernie at this point was the guarantee that this ineptness would lead to Ryan's demise at some point in the near future.

Billy cleared his throat, dragging Ernesto back to the situation at hand. He sighed for maybe the hundredth time that day.

"Sir, I think it would be best-"

"Dispose of him," Ernesto interrupted, turning his attention back to the papers before him. He began shuffling them, sending out a message to Billy that he had been dismissed.

"Sir?" Billy's face was creased with confusion.

Ernesto shook his head with wonder. How did he always end up with the brainless ones? Jackson had been the best damn assassin Ernesto had ever had. _But look at how well that turned out_, Ernesto thought to himself. Still, the men he ended up hiring were always so disturbingly dumb.

"How?" Billy looked scared.

"Be creative." With a wave of his hand, Ernesto signaled to Billy that he should leave. He picked up his cell and called an old associate.

"Hello," he sighed, giving Billy an infuriating glance. Billy's eyes widened with fright and he turned to scurry out.

"_Hellooo_," a raspy voice purred. "How are things going?

"I just wanted you to know it's going to happen within the next 24 hours."

"What?" she asked innocently, as if she didn't know.

"The termination."

"How delicious! You will wait until I arrive, won't you?" It wasn't a question.

Ernesto counted to ten until he regained his patience and was confident he wouldn't scream. "Clearly."

"Oh, Ernesto, you're too thoughtful. You said 24, correct? I'll be there in 20 hours which would be at around 5:00PM."

He shook his head. She always had to make things difficult. "Fine."

"Excellent. Don't do a _thing_ until I get there." She clicked off then, leaving Ernesto sitting there hunched over with a phone still to his ear.

He sat there feeling defeated for a few moments. As he thought about it, his anger intensified and he flung his cell across the room. He watched the broken pieces crumble to the floor and slammed his fist on the table.

He had always hated Monica.

* * *

_It was so cold_. Lisa woke up shivering, forgetting temporarily where she was. The memory of her bleak situation flooded back to her much too soon. She groaned and rubbed her wounded shoulder.

She then became aware Jack's warmth was no longer next to her. A little light from another rainy day drifted in from a tiny window near the ceiling, but the room was still full of oppressing darkness.

"Jack?" Her voice shook as the fear swelled within her, feeling as though a fist had grabbed her throat.

She tried to stand but her body hurt too much. Feeling around, her cold hand met with nothing but even colder cement.

"Jack?" she tried again. Her voice was beginning to take on a panicked edge. "_Jack!_"

"What?" The muffled sound came from the other side of the room.

"Is that you?"

"I would assume that would be fairly obvious."

"What are you doing over there?" Relief came over Lisa and she slowly began to breathe again.

"Getting comfortable."

"Is there a bed over there I don't know about?" she joked.

"No, but it's away from you. You were hitting me in your sleep. And you drooled all over me. It was sufficiently repulsive."

She smiled in the dark. "Sorry."

He sighed then. "I guess it's just your hatred for me coming out even in your dreams," he teased. "It was nice to hear you so frightened though! Are you genuinely becoming concerned about my welfare, or were you just afraid to be alone?"

Lisa felt guilty as she couldn't quite distinguish the difference, but she decided it didn't matter. She had been worried, regardless.

"Come back over," she whispered.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"I'm freezing."

"It's cold in here," he said. "It'll be just as cold if I'm next to you. And besides, your drool might freeze on me."

The sound of a gunshot shook the walls. A scream slipped out of Lisa's mouth; she couldn't help it. She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep it from happening again.

_I hope that wasn't Dad_, she prayed.

She felt a sensation to the right of her and the familiar scent of Jackson wafted up to her nose.

"Just coming over here to strangle you if you decide to scream again."

They sat in silence for a very long time; to Lisa, it felt like hours, but in captivity a second can seem like a lifetime.

"I'm hungry," she mumbled.

"I can hear it," Jack replied with amusement in his voice. His and her stomach had been grumbling for quite some time. Jack doubted they'd be eating any time soon, if at all.

"Tell me a story." A flashback of their flight to Miami crept back into Lisa's mind and she smiled sadly to herself. They had come a long way. Here she was with her death likely to occur within hours and she was asking Jackson to tell her a story like he was her father or something.

_Dad_, she thought to herself. The smile quickly left her face.

"I'm not good with stories," he countered back. "Why don't _you_ tell me a story?"

"Yours would be much more exciting than mine."

"I highly doubt that…"

"Tell me about your childhood." She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked over at Jackson expectantly, even though there was no way he could see her face. It upset her she couldn't see his; she knew that in a couple of hours she would never be able to see it again.

She reached over silently and caressed his stubbly cheek. He flinched at the unexpected contact. Though she was still afraid of him, Lisa kept stroking his face.

"What are you doing?" he whispered. His voice was low and gravelly.

"Touching you."

"Don't," he said softly, sounding as if he was almost pleading with her.

"Why not?"

"I don't like to be touched."

"Everybody likes to be touched. I bet that you-"

"Enough!" he growled. He angrily knocked her arm away.

"Everything's almost over, Jackson. Don't you want to-"

"No."

"But, Jack, I-"

"_No._"

"I don't understand you," she whimpered. She had started to cry despite her desperate effort not to do so. She sniffled loudly and sobs were becoming difficult to stifle. She knew she was coming across as so completely female, something that would irk Jackson to no end, but she couldn't help it. "I thought that-"

"You thought that I'd take you into my arms and make love to you here on the ice-cold cement floor before we both get shot to death or worse? How terribly romantic. I guess it's because you think we're in love now? Or at least you think you're in love with me? _Get a grip, for Christ's sake! _I am not- I repeat_, I_ _am not going to make love to you. _I don't want to do anything physical with you. Stop with the pathetic groveling and whining; you're better than that. Or at least I thought so."

Lisa opened her mouth, her mind desperately searching for a response but she could come up with none. Her hysterical sobs had stopped from shock and from inexplicable emotion. An overwhelming feeling of disappointment and emptiness came over her, stopping her tears altogether.

Finally, she thought of something. "I know what you're trying to do. You've worked nearly your whole life to do this- build up this rough exterior, act like you have no emotion, pretend that human contact is beneath you. But it's not. I see it in your eyes-"

"You can't see shit right now, it's too dark," he tore back.

"-that you have emotion. I've seen it. I know that you do. I'm sorry for you that you never ever got to experience any of that wonderful stuff that involves touching, feeling. How empty your life has been. _You're_ the pathetic one. I bet you can't look back on your life and remember one damned nice thing that you did or that happened to you. Know why that is, Jack? _Because you're a terrible person._ You've barely lived life- real life. I know you made a lot of money and you experienced the nice stuff in life that appeal to the basic desires of people, but you missed out tremendously. I can look back on my life and know I was loved. I loved a lot of people, too, though I've spent the past few years like a ghost. I know that now. I built up my own version of that fucking wall you built up. But the difference between you and me is that I didn't turn to hate. _I was stronger than you this whole goddamn time_. I stayed in my apartment all night, I erased any social life I had, I threw myself into work- but I still was a good person. At least I can look back and say that. But, then again, I don't know how good I am since I fell in love with a sorry shit like you."

Jackson didn't say anything and Lisa had said enough. She shifted away from him and went to the other side of the room.

* * *

"I can't believe how heavy this guy is!" Billy exclaimed. "I thought we weren't feeding him."

"We weren't. He's just tall I guess." Ryan dropped Joe Reisert's feet on the ground to unlock the trunk of his car.

The two silently lifted him up and threw the lifeless body inside. Then they hopped in the car and sped away.

* * *

"Monica, you don't understand. It's _very_ important we do it soon! We can't just wait for-"

"It's not my fault your guys are sprinkling clues around everywhere they go, is it?"

Ernesto stared at the cell phone in disbelief. "You'll suffer the consequences, too. Don't think you won't."

"Are you threatening me, Ernie?" she said softly.

Ernesto marveled at her tactics; she could be scary even when whispering. That was a talent he most certainly lacked.

"No, of course not," he sighed. "I'm just saying if they investigate, many things lead to you…"

She snorted. "Right."

"They do. And they can just hop right in when we're taking care of business later on and you're standing right there with me. Ever think of that?"

"This conversation has gone too far already. Really, where is your professionalism. I told you I'm detained and I simply can't help it. And I'm telling you in the best way I know how that if you act without me, there will be severe consequences, too. And I'm not talking about any kind of investigation… I'm talking about you and me. So why don't you just think about that for a while and I'll call you up in a bit. Hopefully you'll be a good boy then."

She hung up. Ernesto was tempted to throw this cell phone, too, but he thought better of it.

He glanced at the clock. It was 7:00 PM. They had fourteen more hours until they reached the 24-hour mark. Monica assured him she'd only be an hour or two late, but he doubted that. He groaned, knowing he couldn't act without her. There would be hell to pay for sure, and he couldn't risk that just yet. He remembered Monica's spiteful side and shuddered with the knowledge she had more cops working for her than he ever dreamed of. And more assassins, too. Realizing there was nothing more he could do at this point, he went out in the hall and told one of his men to go get him some dinner and bring him back a TV. He shuffled back into the room and went back to his files, attempting to distract himself from Monica and her always evil intentions.

* * *

Lisa woke up from a nightmare crying. She hadn't realized she'd dozed off, so she was confused as she glanced around the room. It was even darker than before; she figured it was nighttime now.

"Bad dream?"

Jackson was next to her. She could feel his leg just touching hers. She shuddered and moved away.

"It's not very polite to ignore a question. I expect better manners from ya, Leese."

She sighed, resenting the fact she was stuck with him. Thinking back to earlier that day, she wondered how she could have been happy that she was with him through this. Actually happy! She snorted at the memory.

"Not a very ladylike habit," he said as he slid himself across the floor, closer to her.

"Can you please stop talking?"

"Ah, now why would I do that?"

"Because I asked you to," she responded, her voice sounding shriller than she intended.

"Why would that motivate me?"

"I guess it wouldn't."

She tried to stand up but her ankle was killing her.

"Kind of ironic, isn't it?"

"_What?_" she asked, wishing they'd just come in and kill her so she could get away from him.

"You thought you escaped me that day and yet here we sit over a year later in a room together. It's like you can't ever escape me. It's all pretty amusing."

Lisa opened her mouth to speak but just then the heavy door to their room swung open. Lisa gasped with fear and her hand reached out for Jackson's involuntarily. The man that had been shooting at her earlier crept in with some object in his hands. He silently walked over to a corner and fiddled with something. Suddenly faint light filled the room; he had plugged in a lamp.

He stood up and grinned at their surprised faces. "Makes things easier for me," he said with a shrug.

The man walked over to them slowly, his smile still plastered to his face.

"You're so different, Jack!" he laughed. He stared pointedly at the two's clasped hands.

Lisa looked at her hand in his alarmingly and tugged it away.

"You're the same," Jack mumbled flatly, sounding bored.

"I couldn't believe it when they said they were bringing you here. I was like, No way! Not Jackson Rippner! I heard you screwed up the Keefe job but I never imagined in a million years you'd flip! And everyone's been saying you flipped for a girl."

Jackson tensed.

"I guess they meant this one," the guy said, indicating Lisa with a nod of his head. "My name's Max." He grinned at her.

She swallowed back vomit.

"What's your name, again? I didn't believe the rumors so I didn't pay attention."

Lisa stared at him, too scared and stunned to speak. Max looked over at Jack, apparently amused.

"Lisa," Jackson said flatly. "What are you doing, Max?

Max looked at him innocently. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you in here like this?" Jackson was angry. "Is it time now? If so, get to the point and cut the chit-chat."

"Just wanted to say hello, Jesus! Isn't he so grouchy, Lisa?" Max laughed then at Lisa's terrified expression. "Guess I'll be leaving. I can take a hint that I'm not wanted! I suppose you guys were busy; I'll let ya get back to it. See you soon!"

He watched them for a moment with a grin and then hurried out, slamming the door behind him.

"What an idiot," Jackson said.

Lisa looked at him for the first time in the light and nearly doubled over in shock. He was frighteningly white and his shirt was covered in blood. He had made a sort of makeshift bandage but it didn't look like it had done much.

He looked over at her, too, and just stared at her with his blue eyes.

"You look good, considering…" he said to her smirking.

"I can't say the same for you."

He shrugged. "That asshole," he said pointing to the door as if Max was standing there, "used to be an associate of mine. The idiot nearly got me killed fifty times. Figures he'd be working here now. Idiot."

He glanced back at Lisa and then looked down at his hands, seeming to be uncomfortable.

"I want to say something," he started.

"Then say it," Lisa screeched, exasperated with him.

"Look at me." She looked up at him hesitantly. He looked scared and she couldn't help but feel glad. "What you said before was partly true and partly absurd. You forget you don't know me at all, so you make all of these crazy assumptions that have no veracity to them whatsoever."

"Are you just going to insult me, then?" Her eyes flashed angrily at him and she turned to move away.

He reached for her shoulders and only released her when her face flinched with pain. He seemed to stroke her bad shoulder as he slowly moved his hands away, but Lisa figured she was just imagining things.

"Please keep your mouth shut for a bit, okay? What I'm trying to say is I'm a cold bastard now but I wasn't always. I've loved in my life. Not anymore, because I'm practically dead already. I've been dead for a while. But, what I'm saying is, I wasn't always this way. Shit happens, Leese, and you change. Violence pops up in your life and all of a sudden, you're a different person. You don't even recognize yourself anymore... So you were right when you said I turned into a bitter, angry, violent murderer and you turned into a repressed shell of a person. Yeah, I know I turned into some monster and you turned into some damsel in distress. That's all true. But you were wrong when you said I didn't live life; I lived! I have lived!"

He looked genuinely upset yet determined, like if he convinced Lisa that was true then it would make it true. She just shook her head at him.

"I was engaged once. Before all of this." He looked around him and waved his hand.

"You're kidding." Lisa wanted him to shut up. She didn't want to feel bad for him anymore than she already did since she made a vow to herself before to hate him for the rest of the little life she had left.

"Yeah. I was in my early 20's I guess. Her name was Jen. She was beautiful and the daughter of one of my clients. I'd just finished a job up for him." He saw Lisa's expression and smiled. "I wasn't really killing people yet."

"Oh," she whispered. Her face relaxed somewhat.

"Want to hear a story, right?"

She shrugged.

"I'll tell you about Jennifer. She was 19. She was so smart, Leese. Smarter than me even." He grinned at that. His eyes drifted away from Lisa's and stared at the wall opposite him. "Her father was a cold son-of-a-bitch but I respected him. He even helped me locate the psycho that killed my dad. He was loyal if-"

Lisa interrupted then. "Who killed your dad? You never said."

"One of his clients," he said calmly. His eyes met hers again and he added, "They apparently didn't like the outcome of their case."

She nodded sadly. The resentment she felt was beginning to melt away, she could feel it, but she couldn't help it. Everything about his past had been so sad. He looked away again and continued.

"Anyway, I was grateful to him. No one else helped me. I met him after I didn't make a payment to one of his men and they dragged me in to see him. He sat in this leather chair and just looked at me. Looked through me would be a more accurate assessment, actually. He told me he was going to kill me and how he was going to do it and then Jen walked in. She didn't appear to be scared; she knew the nature of her dad's business and I figured she overheard her dad's plans to kill people all the time. She did look annoyed though. She said 'Daddy you're not going to kill him are you?' and then she rolled her eyes. 'He's like my age. Whatever he did, you can't blame him. He's probably like me! You always say I'm so dumb 'cause of my age.' She grinned at him then like it was some inside joke. The bastard's face softened, can you believe that? Two seconds before he was talking about how he was going to murder me and then he was smiling like he was actually a nice guy at his daughter. She sat on his windowsill and just looked at me. She didn't have any expression on her face and she started making me uncomfortable. Her dad just sighed then and looked back at me. I guess he took pity on me or something because he just told me to leave and someone would drag me in the next day. I thought about running away but he had about five people watching my place, so I was basically trapped. That was so like him; he always overdid stuff."

Jackson stopped to chuckle to himself, amused at the memory.

"I thought I was going to be killed the next day but I was lead into his office and Jen was sitting in his seat. She smiled at me started asking me questions, like where I was from, how I'd gotten into the business- stuff like that. It was so weird, though; I wondered if he had her working for him and that any minute she was gonna yank out a gun and blow me to pieces. Then her dad came in and told her to leave. I was sure he was going to kill me then. He looked at me and just said 'Thank my daughter.' I was so fucking confused. I was about to go out and find her to thank her just because he told me to when he said 'She's the reason you're alive right now. She always had a soft side for idiots.' He made me work for him to repay the debt and I stayed with him for a while. Until everything happened."

Lisa leaned forward with interest. This was the most Jackson had ever told her about his past. Some of his personality and hostility was being explained; a side of Jackson Lisa had always wondered about, even before she started working alongside him.

"Jen always came to see me at my apartment or strutted into his office when I was over. I guess her dad knew what she was up to because he was always warning me to stay away from her, like _I_ was stalking _her_. He told me she was going to be a lawyer and marry a doctor and other ridiculous stuff I droned out. But I suppose she had a habit of winning him over because he started inviting me over for dinner. In a month we were seriously dating. In nine, we were engaged."

"Was she pregnant?"

Jackson looked at her, confused at the interruption. He'd really gotten lost in the memories. After he absorbed what she said, he looked annoyed.

"_No._ Please. I wouldn't be alive right now."

His eyes locked with Lisa's. "I really loved her. She was amazing. I can't even explain... You know, you two probably would have been friends." He smiled sadly at her briefly and then his face became stony. "She was a sad girl, though. Nothing was ever right, ever enough. She was a perfectionist, but not like me. Nobody warned me."

He stopped then.

"Warned you about what?"

"Her. Her illness. She was severely depressed and on about ten different medications. She'd attempted suicide about three times before. And so a week before we were supposed to get married, she killed herself. I had _no idea_ she was depressed, let alone suicidal or I obviously..." He clamped his mouth shut and rubbed his chin, thinking about it all again. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to remember.

Lisa stared at him in shock. "What? You guys were getting married, she loved you, she was happy... That doesn't make any sense."

He shrugged and looked away. "Nothing ever does."

"Yeah, but-"

"I've spent about fifteen years trying to figure it out, Lisa. I doubt you'll even come close. She left a note saying she was sorry but she couldn't pretend anymore, whatever that means. Her shrink told us afterwards he'd been concerned about her, that her anxiety had been getting worse. I guess that's all there was to it. There is no reasonable explanation for what she did because she wasn't thinking logically in the first place."

"I'm sorry," Lisa murmured.

His eyes bore into hers. "It's all done with now; I grieved and moved on. I blamed myself in the beginning, that I hadn't picked up any of the signs. It's just that I was so happy for the first time in a long time and I thought all of her anxiety was just Jen being neurotic, Jen being cute. Just one of those quirky traits you get used to and think is amusing, you know?" He was silent for a moment before saying, "I haven't thought about her in a while. But the incident pushed me further over the edge. So you see," he sighed, "it's not as black and white as you thought it was. I never really had enough inspiration to be a good person."

"You _must_ have been once if she fell in love with you," Lisa said softly.

Jackson snickered. "She was clearly insane, Lisa. Don't pay me empty compliments."

"I'm not!" she protested. The sympathy she had felt evaporated and she found herself getting angry again. "Why did you even bother telling me all that? You don't care what I think about you. I would think you'd prefer me to consider you a cold-hearted bastard because that's just the way you were rather than have all of these terrible reasons for it."

"You asked me for a story. I gave you one." He leaned back on the wall. "Are you wearing a watch?"

She glanced down at it and nodded. "It's 8:30."

He looked her over, his icy eyes scanning her body with unabashed directness.

"Excuse me." She raised her eyebrows at him. "What's your problem?"

"I'm bored. Talk to me a little, challenge me. That's always fun."

"You like losing?"

He beamed at her. "I never lose."

"Right." She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall, too. She yawned and closed her eyes.

"You look tired."

"I am tired."

"You shouldn't sleep."

She opened one eye to look at him. "Why not?"

"Don't you want to savor the little time we have left?"

"No, I don't find it to be all that exciting."

"I want you to tell me a story. It's only fair."

She opened the other and turned to look him square in the face. "So you can mock me and make me feel even worse than I already do? Thanks but no thanks. Let's just sit here quietly, okay?"

She slid back over to her old position and slid her eyes closed again.

"I don't see why you're being so hostile. I thought we were friends," Jackson remarked, sounding incredibly amused.

"Well, we're not."

"That's too bad."

"It is."

"So you're mad because I wouldn't let you touch me or kiss me? Or have sex with me? That's highly unfair. You're coming off as a horny pubescent boy."

She opened her eyes at this and stared at him, anger heating her face up. He took this as a blush and smiled even wider.

"Congratulations. You've managed to come up with yet another brilliant observation. Can we save all this until later? I'm exhausted."

"We don't have a 'later', we have now. Either you're mad about all of that nonsense or it's something else. C'mon Lisa, what's got your panties into a bunch?"

She sighed at him. "You're so crude."

"No, I'm honest. You're not."

She laughed heartily. It was the first time she'd smiled in a while. "Excuse me? _I'm _not honest?"

"You heard me," he responded. He seemed to be enjoying this intensely.

Lisa realized she was giving him just what he wanted- a fight. "Jackson. Leave me alone. I want to sleep."

"And I want to know what exactly it is I did to you to make so uncharacteristically hostile!"

She looked at his face and giggled again involuntarily. When she saw him grinning again she sobered up. She looked down at her fingernails and sighed. There would be no getting out of this.

"I just wanted to be close to you. I forgot it was impossible. The fear is getting to me, I guess. You should know that- you're very observant and smart. But, I guess you want to humiliate me and make me say it out loud. So I said it. Happy?"

He was silent and looked away. She closed her eyes in humiliation; she had once again bared too much. She could have just said that she was scared and not thinking correctly, or she could have refused to respond, or even better had struck him. Instead, she told the truth because she was way too honest. She covered her face with her hands and shuddered.

And then Jackson moved as quickly as his injury would allow, which was surprisingly fast, and he was grabbing onto her. He kissed her hungrily and wouldn't let go. She started wriggling a bit but he held her firmly and she gave in. His lips were softer than she ever dreamed and his kiss itself was making her knees shake. Her heart was pounding so loud she was sure even Ernesto could hear it through the cement walls.

After five minutes of kissing her mouth, her face, her hair, her neck, Jack pulled away. His eyes were still closed as he bit down on his lower lip, tasting her. His hand was on her face and his thumb began stroking her cheek. He opened his eyes and held Lisa with a look that caught her already short breath.

"That," he panted, "was very nice."

"Mmm-hmm," Lisa agreed were her lids half open.

"More?" he asked, not waiting for a response.

He leaned in again for a kiss and this time pulled Lisa onto his lap. She tugged her face away and laughed.

"What's gotten into you? You're being affectionate. I'm scared!" Her smile was bigger than Jack had ever seen it.

"I have _no_ idea." Jackson laughed softly. "Near-death insanity, maybe? Maybe I'm just trying to slip in one last fling... This is a better way to pass the time, anyway."

They stared at each other smiling for a bit before Jackson whispered, "Tell me a story."

Lisa sighed. "I already told you. I'm the worst storyteller."

He shook his head and nuzzled her face with his own. "I don't care. A story. Now."

"You don't scare me anymore," she teased.

"I should," he snapped as he put on his best murderer face, teasing right back. "Quit stalling."

"Alright, I'll tell you a story."

He smiled in anticipation. "This better be good. It better have lots of action… or else."

Lisa smiled. "Okay. Once upon a time, there was a girl who was stranded at an airport…"

* * *

Shallow graves were never a good idea, but a check of the time informed Ryan there was no other alternative.

"Ernesto will kill us if we're late! We have to take care of them soon!" Ryan yelled for the tenth time.

Billy ran his hands through his greasy hair. "I've already told you to keep your voice down. Do you want his neighbors to look out the window and see us standing here with his body and two shovels? For fuck's sake, man…"

"You do what you want. You want to stay here and dig a bigger one, fine. But don't even try to bring me down with you when the shit hits the fan."

"Forget about Ernesto killing us if we're late, he'll kill us if his body is found. You know how much more likely he'll be found if we put him in there. Why can't we just bring him to the factory?"

The factory was their usual dumping site for the bodies; a nice guy named Ace ran the place. He let the guys put the bodies there and in the morning he dumped them into the incinerator.

"Ace isn't picking his phone up and he locks the doors on the weekend. We've already been over this."

Billy started pacing. "We could call Ernie and tell him. He could probably get through to Ace."

"Billy, Jesus Christ. We're leaving him here. That's final." Ryan started dragging Joe's body through the mud. He looked up expectantly at Billy. "You gonna help me or are you just gonna stand there with your stupid mouth open?"

"If there's trouble for this, you better be taking the blame."

"Whatever," Ryan said, dismissing this with a shrug. "Just help me. He's heavy."

In a few minutes, the men had Joe situated in the wet dirt and were putting the finishing touched on the mound they piled over him. When they were satisfied, they stood back and walked back to the car.

They had work to do.


	20. Brave

**Well, well. Finally an update. It took me forever to come up with this chapter; for some reason I had a really hard time with it. I'm somewhat pleased with the results, but I still don't think it's perfect. I hope you all enjoy it and like the direction it's taking, however. Hopefully I made up for the time with all of this material! There's a lot of dialogue (I'm having too much fun with Lisa and Jack being in such tight quarters!!), but I feel it's all important. The next chapter is definitely more action-packed. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. They're kinder than I deserve. Please review and let me know what you think! **

* * *

Burning pain forced Lisa's eyes open and she cried out. Something was holding her down and though she was thrashing around violently, she couldn't release herself.

"Lisa."

She recognized that voice all too well.

"Jackson?"

"The one and only. What the hell are you doing?"

She looked around and realized she was lying on his lap. His arms were around her, holding her down firmly.

"My arm hurts."

"Sit up for a sec, Leese."

Grunting through the pain, Lisa hunched herself up and slid next to him. The cement wall on her back was freezing. She could hear Jackson crawling on the floor and soon bright light burned her eyes. He grinned at her and crawled back from the lamp.

"Let me see your arm."

"No, it's fine. Forget it." He glared at her impatiently until she sighed and shut her eyes in exasperation. Slowly, she rolled up her shirt and exposed her arm to him.

"It's infected," he whispered. "Great." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Lisa mumbled. "Ernesto will kill me before the infection does."

She had meant it as a morbid joke but Jackson didn't even smirk in response. He just sighed and shifted himself next to her.

"You also have a fever." He leant back his head onto the cold cement and watched her through half-lidded eyes. "You're looking pretty horrible right now."

"_You_ look horrible, Jack," she said softly. "You actually look green. How do you feel?"

He smiled weakly at her but said nothing.

"Jack, you should-"

"Does it matter?" he sighed exasperatedly. "What time is it?"

Tearing her eyes away from his, she looked at her watch. "7:15."

"That's way too early for me to be up right now. I'm going to rest."

"You can put your head on my lap…"

"No." He slid his eyes shut and again leant back against the wall.

"It would definitely be more comfortable than the wall."

He opened his eyes again and just stared at her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked after a few moments, feeling self-conscious under his intense scrutiny.

"The first time I saw you."

She smiled. "When we yelled at the guy that was harassing the airport employee? That _was_ a good time."

He laughed a little to himself and then pierced her eyes with his. "That wasn't the _first_ time I saw you, Lisa. You forget I'd been stalking you for a while before."

"Oh, right!" She was thoroughly amused. "When did you first see me, then?"

"It's a secret," he whispered, mischief twinkling in his beautiful blue eyes.

"You're not going to tell me?!"

"No." He chuckled at her horrified and outraged expression. "It wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?"

"Don't you think you have enough secrets? And I deserve to know."

He just shook his head at her and closed his eyes again, smiling to himself as he remembered.

* * *

"_Can you please attempt to be reasonable?!_"

"I am being extraordinarily reasonable."

Ernesto sighed and caught a glimpse of his appearance in the mirror. He looked terrible.

"Monica, I don't see what makes your warehouse any better than mine. Yours is two hours away, meaning I gotta lock 'em up, put 'em in the van, and drive two hours with tied up, bloody captives."

"It does sound a little ridiculous," she giggled. "But it would allow me to make it earlier. I'm looking forward to it _so _much, Ernie."

"We can wait," Ernesto grunted. "It's much easier for _us_."

"Meet me in four hours at my warehouse or I'll send some of my most loyal associates to drag your asses there. Have a pleasant morning."

Ernesto stared incredulously at the cell phone and shook his head. The new development certainly complicated things. It was incredibly dangerous to drive with two prisoners with the possibility of getting pulled over and found out. He poked his head out in the hall and asked his Russian associate, Steve, to come in.

"Steve, we got a problem. That stupid bitch wants us to drive two hours out to _her_ warehouse to take care of them. We leave in two hours. Go get them ready."

"Ready?" Steve asked, confused.

"Yes," Ernie shouted impatiently. "Make sure they're awake. Feed them, too, I guess. I wanna make sure they're still alive by the time we get there or else she'll flip."

Steve nodded and went out to get some boxes of cereal that were being stored in the next room. Shaking his head, Ernesto sat down at his desk.

"It's going to be a long day," he muttered, resting his head on the cool desk.

* * *

Jackson woke with a start. He glanced around the somewhat lit room and saw Lisa sleeping beside the opposite wall. A glance up at the tiny window informed him it was still morning.

The door opened and Steve came in. Jackson recognized him immediately and fought the urge to smile. He'd always had a fondness for Steve.

"Jackson," he mumbled in his thick accent, nodding his head at Jack without looking at him. "I am come to bring you the breakfast." He set the tray down that held two small boxes of cereal with a small container of milk and rushed out of the room.

Smiling to himself, Jackson poked Lisa. "Wake up. The Russian brought us food."

Lisa yawned and stretched, smiling at Jackson. "I was having such a good dream."

He quirked an eyebrow. "A good dream? Here?"

"Why not?" She reached for a box of cereal and grinned. "You were there."

"Was I?" he laughed. "I bet I was naked."

She shook her head and stuffed the food in her mouth. Jackson pretended to be disgusted.

"You have excellent table manners."

"Are you going to tell me when you first saw me?" Lisa asked, ignoring his comment.

"Why does it matter?"

"I don't know." She shrugged and put down her cereal. "It just does."

"You realize how terribly insignificant it is, right?"

"Jackson," she said, all traces of amusement gone from her face, "quit stalling."

"Fine, but you're going to be disappointed. I followed you from work but I didn't get a good look at your face until we reached the supermarket. You were picking up one of those pre-made chicken meals and you looked tired. Some guy was trying to hit on you and you shot him the look of death." Jackson chuckled at the memory. "I remember thinking, 'This one's got spunk!'. I never realized how difficult you were going to make my life." He paused to stare at her intently. "Anyway, I was standing too close to you and you looked up. You smiled at me but it was just friendliness. Still, I had a heart attack. I got out of there as fast as I could and cursed myself the whole time I waited for you to come out."

"I don't remember." Lisa's face crinkled with thought. She was trying very hard to picture Jackson in her local supermarket but the thought made her laugh.

"You wouldn't. I told you it was insignificant. I guess it was an omen of my eventual failure with you- I should have quit then."

"You're still calling it a failure?"

"What would you call it?"

She picked up her cereal again and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"We're sitting in a room, waiting to be killed, Lisa. You do comprehend that right?"

"Jack, why do you feel the need to talk to me like I'm a child?" Her face was red with anger. "I'm more than able to comprehend the situation."

"Your feelings are hurt because I called this entire experience a failure. _You're_ being the child."

She was silent but still annoyed.

A few moments later she looked up to see him staring at her. His expression was unreadable but she could sense a bit of repentance.

She forced a smile and said, "What do you think we'd be doing if we weren't here? If we'd never been dragged into this whole mess?"

"Are you counting the plane or not?"

Thinking a moment, she responded, "Give me both scenarios."

"Very well. If we don't count the plane," he said smiling, "I probably would be working on some project right now. I'd still be at the top of my game. If we do, I guess I'd be on my way out to Los Angeles."

"Los Angeles?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

"Sure, I have some old colleagues out there. They would be more than happy to supply me with shelter, a different identity."

"Well, why didn't you go out there when you had a chance?"

"I was helping a damsel in distress."

Disbelief swept across her features. "You mean to tell me you risked your life to help me? That you could have been living safely in L.A. right now?"

"Well, I would be safe _enough_. There would still have been some ramifications. But it would have been easy to go undercover and get out."

Lisa was stunned into silence. He glowered at her and shook his head.

"Don't look at me like that. You weren't the only reason. I wanted to see this stupid empire go down and get a little revenge. It will, too. Whether we die or not, the feds have a lot of information on these pathetic wastes."

"Do you think we would have dated?" she asked suddenly, blushing immediately as the words rushed out. She hadn't meant to really ask them that, but she had noticed that it was becoming quite common for her to put her foot in her mouth. Maybe the idea of dying soon was making her a little less fearless.

"What?!" Jackson coughed out, laughing in surprise.

"Would you have asked me out?" Her voice was firm but she was blushing. It appeared to her that he was blushing, too, though he was likely flushed with anger.

"No."

"Why not?"

He sighed and looked at her like she was torturing him. "Why would I? You're terrible at holding a grudge, Leese. You do recall me trying to kill you, right?"

"You wouldn't have," she said confidently, her eyes smiling at him.

"Oh?"

"You wouldn't have been able to go through with it."

"You're fairly confident about something you have no knowledge of."

"Every guy that's come in here," she whispered, "has been shocked that you stuck around to help me. I must have meant something to you."

"You're really vain, Lisa." He looked away from her face. "Not to mention crazy."

"I'm really _right_, aren't I?"

The door swung open before Jackson could respond. Steve, Billy, Max, and Ryan came in.

"Hope we weren't disturbing anything," Max laughed, catching Ryan's eye.

"Knowing Lisa, we probably were," Ryan said. He laughed with Max about his little joke.

"Enough laughing, it's time to go." Billy walked over and tied Lisa's hands together. She eyed him and eyed the distance to the door. He guessed what she was thinking and smiled. "You can try it, sweetie. I dare ya. But don't forget four big murderers will be in your way."

Ryan walked over to Jack and stared at him with a big smile on his face. "How's that wound, Jack?"

Jackson kept his eyes on Lisa, not responding.

"Oh, Jack," Ryan whispered, looking back at Lisa, "you haven't fallen for her, have you? That's too sweet! Maybe they'll make a movie out of your story one day. Then again, maybe not since everyone thinks you're the bad guy and that she hates you. Maybe she still does."

"Maybe," Jackson agreed, smirking up at Ryan. "But she still likes me in one particular area a lot more than she ever liked you."

"You're bluffing," Ryan muttered, leaning over to tie Jackson's hands together. Jackson could tell that, despite his cool response, Ryan was a little flustered at his comment.

The men dragged Lisa and Jack outside to a van that was waiting. They threw them into the back where the two were yet again submerged in darkness.

Lisa started shaking. "We're going to die soon, aren't we?"

Jackson didn't respond. She shifted her body a little so she was leaning against his arm. Her entire body shook with fear.

"I'm scared, Jackson."

"_Lisa Reisert_ is scared? That is something new."

He swung an arm around her and pulled her close without even seeming to think about it. It just felt natural to both of them.

"I wouldn't have asked you out, Lisa, because it never would have worked. I'm incapable of love and I sure as hell wouldn't have wanted to date you, let alone kiss you. I'm not interested in love or dating. I just get what I need when I want it." He looked over and saw her pained, confused expression. "Some of my past has been revealed to you so now you think you know me better. You still have no idea. No matter what happened to me all those years ago, I'm a killer now. And that's all I'll ever be."

"You're an idiot if you believe that," she sobbed, the tears finally forming in her eyes. She was tired, cold, and in a lot of pain. And she was all too aware that her time was running out.

"And you're an idiot if you don't. In any case, this has been the worst project I've ever been assigned to," he whispered angrily. "Seriously, I can't believe I'm literally sitting here with a hole in my goddamn chest next to you, on my way to being killed." He looked down at her and saw she was still crying silently. "Despite these less than favorable circumstances, I have to admit I've had fun. And if I was going to go down sometime, I guess I'm glad it was in your company."

"Same here," she whispered. "Jack… Jack, I-"

"Don't say anything more, Lisa. We've said enough. Let's just be quiet for a bit. I'm tired."

"But I need to say something. I need you to know-"

"I don't need to know anything more. Please, Lisa. _Please_. I'm begging you to just be quiet for a bit."

She waited for five minutes before attempting to speak again but there was no response. Panicking for a brief moment, she started to shake him. He mumbled something incoherent and she smiled. He had just fallen asleep. Thinking over everything he'd said to her, she put her head in his lap and drifted off herself.

* * *

"Wake up, sleeping beauties."

Lisa opened her eyes to bright sunlight and groaned when she saw Ryan standing there, smiling at her.

"Come on, get out."

Jackson yawned and stretched beside her. "Don't be so grouchy, Ryan."

The two hopped out in the back and stumbled a bit. Both were incredibly weak and their wounds had certainly taken their toll on them. Lisa felt lightheaded and wondered if she wasn't dying already. She fell to the ground a few times as they walked to another large, grey building.

After she fell for the fifth time, Ryan cursed and grabbed her bad arm. She howled in pain but he paid her no mind. He practically dragged her the rest of the way, not bothering to stop whenever she fell again. Finally they reached the building and he threw her into a small room. She thrust forward from the speed of his push and knocked her head against the wall. He merely smirked and turned away. Jackson was thrown in a moment later but Lisa cushioned his impact.

He looked up at her curiously as the door slammed behind him. A dim bulb hung from the ceiling, casting some light into the otherwise dreary room. The walls were concrete again and there was no small window to the outside world. The floor had little pieces of fabric and other debris all over it.

"Your head's bleeding," he said flatly.

"He threw me into the wall."

"I'm sorry."

"Jack?"

"Yes?" he sighed as he sat down on the floor. She eyed his shirt warily, noticing fresh blood.

"You're bleeding again."

"Sit down, Lisa."

"I'm scared," she whispered as she crouched down next to him.

Jackson said nothing. A long time went by in silence. Lisa thought of her father, wondering if he was even alive. Though she had no real hand in this entire situation, guilt and grief flooded through her. Tears slid out of her eyes as she thought of where her father was now. He had always been so good to her, so worried. Now, he was probably lying in a shallow ditch somewhere. She shuddered at the thought and tried desperately to think of something else.

She thought back to all those months ago when she had visited Jackson in prison. She thought of Ryan, whom she had thought she loved. She cringed with chagrin when she thought of all her stupid dreams involving Ryan and their future together- a marriage, a child. Things she had sworn off when she became a shell of a person had suddenly become the most important to her when he forced his way into her life. How time sorts things. Of course, with Lisa's luck, he had turned into a murderous villain who was ten times worse than Jackson. Jack looked like a saint compared to Ryan.

She glanced over at Jack, who appeared to be sleeping, and tried to remind herself that he was a murderer. He _had _tried to kill her. He _had_ threatened her. He had even hit her… multiple times. Yet despite all of this, somehow Lisa had fallen in love with him. And now they were going to die together.

It in some way seemed right to her. They would never have been able to live and love together. Sure, he had protected her. He didn't want her to be killed. But he was still who he was. He had been right when he had said that before and Lisa knew it. There was no graceful or safe way to pull out of the business and Lisa wasn't even sure he wanted to. She wasn't even sure that he liked her, let alone loved her. He probably would never have loved her. If he sought anything from her, it likely would only have been something physical. She wasn't sure of his emotions, but she knew he was attracted to her. It sizzled in the air whenever they met eyes, his icy eyes melting with her emeralds. It didn't matter, however. She was content in spending some time with him and in a sick way, was glad to be with him as this horrible nightmare played out. He didn't have to love her. It was enough that he cared, no matter how marginally.

"What are you thinking?" Jackson's hard voice snapped Lisa back into the present. She jumped, looking over at his grinning pale face and flushed.

"You scared me- I thought you were asleep."

"What were you thinking?" he repeated, an agitated tone casting an edge to his voice.

"You don't want to know," she muttered softly. "Jack, what are they doing? Why did they move us?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." He grunted in pain and shifted his weight to ease whatever was discomforting him. He glanced over at Lisa's worried expression and smiled faintly. "I've been shot, Leese. It's going to hurt. How's _your_ gunshot wound?" He gestured towards her shoulder, amusement lighting his face. "It doesn't even seem to bother you anymore."

"I barely feel it anymore," she admitted. "I'm too scared, I think. The adrenaline is overcompensating."

He chuckled lowly and shook his head at her. "I'll give you one thing, Leese. You're tough."

"Will it be soon?" She had tried to sound brave but ended up shrieking the question. Her voice cracked on the last part.

He shrugged. "Who knows? It can't be too long now, though."

"Will it be fast?" she whispered, so quietly she wondered if he had heard her.

His jaw tightened and he looked away. "Look at me, Jack," she pleaded.

His gorgeous crystal eyes focused on her, burning into her olive eyes. "Why are you torturing yourself? It'll be however way they want it, we can't change that. Just think happy thoughts until it's all over."

"How can you be so _calm_?" she marveled. "You always said you didn't want to die."

"I said I wasn't _suicidal_. This is hardly the same thing. I'm not enthusiastic about being killed, Lisa, but I've been trained to hide fear quite well. The only thing I feel now is annoyed. I never should have let you drive us to the warehouse. And I should have been prepared for that bastard. I _knew _it was a trap; I should've had the gun in my fucking hand. We weren't prepared."

In the distance, a gunshot sounded. Though he had been trained so well, Jackson started at the sound and his eyes widened with anxiety.

"Maybe there's a mutiny," he mumbled. "That would be excellent."

"Maybe it's the cops!" Lisa cheered.

Snorting, Jackson shook his head. "We're at Monica's warehouse. No cops are coming here."

As he spoke the last word, their door swung open. There, standing with a triumphant smile, stood all six feet of Monica, the only person that had ever been successful in scaring Jackson. Her blonde hair hung loosely yet smoothly around her face. Her dark brown eyes pierced Jackson with a glare that could melt the coldest, hardest ice. A smile was plastered on her face, a smile that sent shivers down Lisa's spine and caused her to involuntarily shift closer to Jackson.

Lisa peered anxiously at his face and saw shock and something resembling fear flit across his features. A second later he composed himself and slid on his mask, but it was too late. Monica had seen it and smiled even wider. She flicked a glance at Lisa and rolled her eyes. Eagerly, she gazed back at Jack and grinned.

"So this is the girl?" she asked Jackson, sauntering over.

Jackson glared back.

"Lisa, it's a pleasure to finally put a face to a name. I've heard _so_ much about you." She reached out her hand with perfectly manicured hands. Her eyes looked down and took in Lisa's bound hands. "Oh, I see that your hands aren't free at the moment. My apologies." She looked over at Jackson again and smirked. "You look like shit. They think you're dying."

"I am," he said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Oh, Jack. You'll never learn." She rolled her eyes, immensely amused. "I heard you tried to say I was planning to betray Ernesto. Clever. I'm sorry it didn't work."

"You win some, you lose some."

"Jack. They're going to kill you."

"On your orders."

She smiled at that. "Yes, of course. But you must know you're the only man I ever came close to loving. Crazy as it sounds, I'm still up for… alternatives."

He laughed bitterly. "Alternatives? If your guys don't kill me I'm probably going to die anyway."

"You betrayed me," she tore out, her voice shifting from her previous amused tone into one much more sinister. "In the worst possible way. You knew how I felt about you and you used it to your advantage for _her_. Why, Jack? You really cared that much for her that you were willing to screw me over, which you had to know was inevitably going to lead to your death? You're an idiot." She paused and took a deep breath. When she spoke, her voice was again as calm as ever but her eyes sizzled with hate and pain. "But, I'm an idiot as well. I still care for you. We have a lot of great memories and I'm convinced this is only a temporary… mental malfunction of some sort. I don't want to see you _dead_. Naturally that doesn't mean I don't want you to suffer, but I don't want to kill you. I should, it would be very wise for me to, but I can't. Ernesto won't be a problem about _that_ anymore."

Lisa looked over at Jackson for some kind of explanation. He looked as perplexed as she felt as he scanned Monica's face, obviously trying to extract some sort of clue.

"Edgar!" Monica suddenly bellowed out. Her sudden shriek caused Lisa to jump and cry out in fear. The sound was even more terrifying to Lisa than a thousand gunshots fired at once. Monica smiled at her, grinning from ear to ear.

A short, stout man shuffled in. He glanced at Lisa and Jackson in boredom and then focused his attention on Monica.

"Get him out of here and bring him to my office. Watch him until I get there. This won't take long." She looked back over at Lisa and winked.

"What are you doing, Monica?" Jack demanded, his face contorted in outrage.

"I'm interested in a little girly chitchat." She smiled as he furiously cursed at her. "You'll find out. I never keep you in the dark for long." A short cackle erupted from her lips. "I'll be in a bit to… explain things. Like I said, I won't be long. We need to discuss the nature of your conditions."

"I'm not leaving," he whispered, his voice slipping into the threatening tone Lisa hadn't heard in forever.

"Yes you are," Monica said pleasantly. "Edgar?"

Edgar nodded and approached Jackson. He reached over and heaved Jackson up to his feet. Jack tried to fight back but the man was surprisingly strong. His injury didn't make Jackson any stronger.

"Monica, I demand you let me stay in here! I'm not interested in your conditions."

"Jack!" she exclaimed, her face twisted in the scariest expression Lisa had ever seen. "You will do as I say. Consider me as fucking _God_ to you. Your life is in my hands; I'm granting you another chance. You should be your damn knees thanking me, rather than giving me all this trouble."

"If you kill her-"

"What?" Monica interrupted with a taunting edge to her voice. "What will you do, Jack? Kill _me_? I'm not afraid of you. Like I said, I'm practically God in this situation. I will do as I please. Now kindly obey Edgar and don't give him any trouble."

She blew Jack a kiss as Edgar pushed him farther towards the door. Before Lisa could blink, Monica was nearly on top of her, her eyes glittering with hatred. Her expression made Lisa even ten times more frightened, a feat Lisa had thought impossible. Frantically, her eyes sought out one more look at Jackson.

Before Edgar thrust him out of the room, Jack looked back one more time and smiled comfortingly at Lisa.

"You're brave," he mouthed before Edgar kicked him, sending him hurling out into the hallway. Edgar calmly leant back and closed the door slowly.

At the sound of the door's click, Monica smiled.

"Alone at last," she whispered, pacing in front of Lisa. Her eyes never looked away from Lisa's.

"What do you want?" Lisa whispered out, her voice sounding raspy. Her throat hurt terribly; every time she swallowed it felt like a thousand shards of glass were being swallowed down as well.

"Oh, Lisa. If I told you now it would spoil all the fun!"

Lisa gulped and prepared to say something, anything, when suddenly there was nothing but darkness.


	21. An Ending

Darkness. Lisa felt like she had spent years in darkness. Her eyes hurt when she opened them but she forced herself awake. She felt around and immediately wished she hadn't; she was in an incredibly small closet.

Taking deep breaths, Lisa counted up to one hundred a few times to steady herself. It was no use- Lisa absolutely hated confined spaces. She felt around again and ran her hand along the short wall, trying desperately to find a doorknob.

Suddenly the door whirled open and a tall, thin blonde woman stood there sneering down at Lisa. Before she could say or think anything, Lisa was dragged out by her hair. The woman paid no attention to Lisa's cries to be let go.

A few moments later, they entered a dimly lit room. There was a desk with two chairs beneath a faint ceiling light. The desk was bare except for a few scattered papers and the chairs looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Sit," the woman commanded, pushing Lisa towards the nearest chair.

Lisa looked up and realized the woman was Monica. A cold wetness trickled down the back of her neck. Reflexively, she reached her hand back to see what it was. When she pulled her hand away, she thought she was going to faint. It was blood.

"You fainted before," Monica said simply. "You hit your head."

Lisa snapped her head up and gazed curiously at her.

"I suppose you know all about my… affection for Jack," she started, running her fingers along the smooth desk. "He must have told you and that's why you two decided to leverage that against me- so he could get information. You know, Lisa," she laughed, "I had always prided myself on being above _other_ women. I never, _ever_ let a man get in my way my entire life and I've been pretty successful as a result."

With a sigh she stood up and started pacing. "Then Jack came along and I guess I don't have to explain what happened then. It appears he's had the same effect on you as well so you can understand, somewhat, my dilemma. He should have been killed after his debacle with you, there's no excuse for that. But of course I couldn't let that happen."

Lisa swallowed, waiting for the inevitable blow.

"What a mistake I made! The first large, damning, laughable mistake I've made in my entire career. I thought with whatever heart I have left, not with my head. And look where it got me."

She walked until she towered over Lisa, a queer smile playing at her lips. "He hooks up with you and tries to undermine me _and _frame me. But, luckily, it appears I've been given a second chance to get things right. I killed Ernie, who was really becoming quite a pest, and now I have you and I have Jackson in the palm of my hand. The two of you are nearly dead anyway with your injuries. Think of it as me giving you the peace, the release you so desperately deserve. Just like your father. It won't be _too_ pleasant though, I'm afraid."

She walked away, letting her words sink in. Lisa kept a poker face but inside she was crumbling.

_So Dad _is_ dead_, she thought, biting her lip fiercely in an attempt to keep the tears from falling. _Don't lose your head now, Lisa,_ think! _You've come this far._

Listening to Monica's clicking heels, Lisa thought desperately for a way out. Realizing there was nothing she could do, she slumped against her chair.

_I could try to fight her_, she suddenly thought. She looked down at her bad arm and figured if she had enough willpower, she could do it. _I'm going to die anyway so what's the difference? If she has a gun, I'll be killed that much faster. There's nothing to lose now_. _But Jack… What if she takes it out on him?_

"Are you going to kill Jack?" she whispered, rubbing her bad arm.

Monica walked back over to her desk and leant against the side. For a moment, she almost looked sad. She quickly composed her face and glared at Lisa.

"I told you I was going to make things right."

"I don't see how that's necessary," Lisa replied, trying to sound as calm as possible. "It was all my fault."

Breaking out into a smile that made Lisa cringe, Monica answered, "Doll, it's much more than necessary. He deserves it. Revenge is a sweet, sweet thing."

"When are you going to kill me?" Lisa managed, her voice cracking at the end. "Why don't you just do it now?"

Monica tilted her head and grinned. "I never said I'd kill you fast."

Lisa swallowed. She watched as Monica turned her back on her and started clicking away. Without thinking, she jumped up and ran after her.

She was on top of Monica now, the two women furiously scrambling and scratching one another. Lisa had the advantage- for the moment- because she'd caught Monica completely off guard. Monica had counted on Lisa's injury rendering her defenseless so she could never have expected this. The shock didn't last long.

With expertise, Monica smacked her face into Lisa's jaw. Flinching beneath the pain, Lisa cried out but did not release her hold around Monica's neck. Growling, Monica reached behind her for something. Suddenly, a heavy object smacked into Lisa's forehead. She jumped back and lifted her hand to the wound, blood glistening off her fingers.

Swallowing hard, she looked up and saw Monica holding a gun, her hair wild and frenzied.

"What the _fuck_ were you thinking?" she screeched out. "Did you honestly think you'd be able to overpower me? Do you know who I _am_?"

Clenching her fists and willing her fear away, Lisa smiled for the first time in days. She saw Monica's eyes widen with shock. This smile was nothing like her usual sweet smiles. This was a Monica smile- threatening, condescending, menacing. Lisa eyed Monica's hands as they involuntarily loosened their hold on the gun.

"Yeah, I know who you are-," Lisa answered, the smile fading, "just another _bitch_!"

She lifted her leg quickly, kicking the gun out of Monica's bony hands. Lisa took a moment to thank all of those self defense classes she'd taken.

Monica stood there frozen in disbelief for a moment, staring at the black shiny gun across the floor. Looking back at Lisa, Monica's mind snapped back into focus and she ran towards the gun. Lisa ran to it, too, screaming as she got closer and closer.

They both reached it at the same time. They were pushing one another and biting when they could. Monica sunk her teeth into Lisa's bad shoulder, causing Lisa to howl out in agony. But she would not let go of the gun.

"I'm going to kill you, you little bitch!" Monica rasped out, knocking into Lisa with her bony hips.

The gun was pointed in Monica's direction.

_If_ _I could just get to the trigger_, Lisa thought.

Monica knew full well what Lisa was thinking. She blocked the trigger and desperately tried to twist the gun to face Lisa.

They were both screaming and sweaty now. Lisa was crying and kicking; Monica was screeching and cursing.

Then the gun went off.

* * *

A loud gunshot went off, reverberating through the walls. Jackson jumped at the sound for the first time in his life because he knew what it meant. Lisa was dead.

He told himself it didn't mater. He told himself she was just a girl, just a pawn. She was just somebody he'd temporarily got caught up with. She meant nothing.

But no matter how much he tried to convince himself that her death meant nothing to him, he couldn't shake the feeling of despair. He couldn't figure out what this emotion was. He'd never felt this way before; the feeling was indescribable. He felt his heart beating too fast and too irregular, burning and hurting his chest. The blood roared in his ears and his eyes suddenly lost their focus, making the room he'd been thrown in look fuzzy.

_What the hell is wrong with me? How did I get caught up in this shit?_ He rubbed his face and tried to ignore the fresh flow of blood that was trickling out of his wound. _I'm going to die now anyway so it doesn't matter. I'm going to die- just like Leese. It doesn't matter._

A cold wetness dropped down his cheek. He lifted his hand and pulled away to identify what it was. He was horrified at what he saw- a tear. Jackson Rippner never cried.

_What the hell is wrong with me?! She was just some stupid girl, no better than anyone else I've ever been with. What difference does it make? She was nothing. Nothing. And now she's gone. She's dead._

He groaned, realizing he couldn't convince himself she was nothing to him. Because she wasn't "nothing" to him- she had become _something_ and he couldn't ignore or deny it anymore.

_It makes a big difference. It makes a huge difference because…. Because… Because why? _

_Because I loved her._

This thought was even more horrifying than the single tear that had dropped out of his eye. This was more horrifying than Monica on her worst day. Part of him was glad he was dying; he'd never ever have to acknowledge this.

The door creaked open slowly but the hallway was black. He didn't know who was there but he had a pretty good guess. Monica's shiny gun slipped through the crack.

_This is it._

The door slid open a bit more, the gun inching forward.

_Come on, come on. Just do it._

The door was kicked open. A figure raced into the room in a blur.

_Holy shit._

It was Lisa.

"Come on, Jack," she whispered, grabbing him and heaving him up. "Can you walk?"

Stunned, he just nodded.

"Where did her guy go?"

He couldn't speak

"Jack? What happened-"

"I thought you died," he said softly.

His tone of voice surprised her into pausing somewhat so she could look into his eyes. Blue flames flickered within them and his expression was vulnerable. She had never seen him look like this before.

"What happened? What was the gunshot for?" he asked. His voice slipped back to normal. He was walking again and bringing Lisa along with him.

"I killed Monica," she whispered.

He looked down at her and grinned. It was his beautiful, happy grin, though it was more subdued. He looked so tired. "Peachy."

She smiled back at him and supported him as they walked down the narrow, dark hallway.

"We're not out of danger completely, you know," he said suddenly. "We're going to have to get through a lot of people and neither of us is in any condition to fight."

"I can fight. I managed to kick Monica's ass, didn't I?" She smiled up at him. "Besides, we're going to her office. There's a functioning phone _and _an address book with this address in it. I found it in her desk."

Jackson tsked. "You should have called the police before you came and got me."

She looked up at him and rolled her eyes. "I wanted to make sure you weren't being tortured or killed or anything. How silly of me!"

"Don't start," he sighed, leaning into her body a bit more. He was in a lot of pain. Judging from her tight expression, so was she. "Are you okay?"

"I will be once we get the fuck out of here," she whispered. She looked over at him and focused in on his gunshot wound. "What about you?"

"I'll live-," he muttered, "I think."

They reached Monica's office door. Lisa hesitantly opened it, terrified that Monica was going to appear flying at them. But her lifeless body was still in a pool of blood, just as Lisa had left her.

"Jesus," Jack mumbled. He moved away from Lisa to look Monica over.

Lisa wasted no time in running over to the desk and fishing out the address book she spotted before. With shaking hands, she picked up the phone that Monica had hid in the desk and dialed 911.

Lisa looked up and met Jackson's gaze. He was clapping soundlessly at her with one eyebrow arched and one corner of his mouth tilted upward. She smiled.

They were going home.

**The end is most definitely near. I could have ended it here but that would have been way too mean. I don't like ambiguous endings! The next chapter should be the last and it's just for some closure and whatnot. Jackson was a bit soft in this chapter, I know, but I'm hoping that I made it believable. Keep reading and reviewing!**


	22. We'll Talk Again

**Hey, everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get this out; I don't know what's wrong with me. It's just a short little chapter of closure. I hope you all like it. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed my story. I love you all. It really means a lot to me- without your reviews I never would have finished this story. I hope you've all liked it and that everything worked out the way you wanted it to.**

**I've been toying with the idea of a sequel but I don't know. What other shenanigans can these two get into? (Ominous thunder). Haha, I'm so lame. Let me know what you think. It could be interesting, I suppose. **

**Anyway, enjoy and thanks for everything. **

* * *

Lisa hissed with pain. The paramedic looked up at her sympathetically but continued to dab and prod away at her wound.

"You're going to need surgery," he said under his breath. "We'll get you on a stretcher in a minute."

Craning her neck, Lisa looked for Jack. The ambulance and police came no more than ten minutes after she called, separating the two of them before they even had a chance to glance at one another.

"Do you know where my friend is?" she asked the man.

He looked up at her, clearly confused. "Your friend?"

"Yes. The man that was with me when you guys came to get us."

"Oh," he nodded, "right. He's over there somewhere." He pointed over to a crowded area.

Lisa was about to ask him to let her go when she spotted Jackson on a stretcher. He met her eyes as they rolled him past and he winked at her.

"Wait," she called. She removed her arm from the paramedic's grasp and walked over.

"So you survived," Jack joked.

"You're so pale," she whispered. She stroke his jaw softly.

Jack chuckled slightly and then grimaced in pain. "Well, so are you. You look like shit, actually."

"Is he going to be okay?" Lisa asked the female paramedic.

She didn't answer; she just said, "We need to get him to the hospital right away."

Despite her best efforts, Lisa began to cry.

"Oh, Jesus," Jack moaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm not dead yet, Leese. Save that for later. As for right now you're aggravating me."

"Shut up," she managed through little sobs. She reached over and grabbed his hand. The action startled him but he said nothing. She kissed his hand softly, her eyes never leaving his. "I'll see you at the hospital."

She blushed at her action and at his expression. His eyebrow arched in amusement and a smile began to form on his face. "Are you planning on visiting me, Ms. Reisert?"

She laughed through her tears. "Maybe."

"Ma'am, we really have to go," the paramedic said impatiently.

Lisa nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Before she could stop herself, she leant over his face so that she could kiss him lightly on the lips. She stood up and saw his eyes shut tight, his mouth slightly parted.

"Please take care of yourself, Jack," she breathed.

His eyes fluttered open and glittered in the light emitted from the ambulance. "You, too."

"I'll be seeing you soon," she whispered, letting go of his hand.

"We'll talk again," Jack chuckled as he was rolled away.

Nothing else was said as the workers gently lifted him up into the back of the ambulance. He watched her intently the entire time, sending pleasant tingles up and down her spine.

Lisa could still see him through the sliver of the back window as they sped away. She swore she could see him laughing.


End file.
